PoIsOnEd LeTtErS
by Elendor
Summary: 9th chapter, everything is sad. sad, sad, sad, sad, SAD!
1. unexpected writer

**Poisoned Letters 1**

_Unexpected writer_

'All right Harry?'  
'Good luck Harry.'  
'You'll do great!'  
'Make us proud.'

The morning of a Quidditch match was always the same; pats on the back, encouragement, jokes. You'd have thought he'd be used to it by now but he was still nervous before his games, he still got the feeling that he would let down the team.  
It was lovely weather for it though, the sun was shining and there wasn't a cloud in the sky, it was possibly the last day of summer.  
By the time he and Ron got down to the great hall they saw Hermione was already there leaning over a copy of the school newspaper (which had started up the year before) shaking with laughter, which made the boys smile.  
'Hey Herm, whatcha reading?' Ron asked as he and Harry sat down beside her.  
'Oh its this report on the on coming Quidditch match, the guy who wrote it is fantastic! It much have been written yesterday, your in it Harry,' she giggled again, 'don't look at the name at the bottom until the end, just read it.'  
She past over the paper to the boys and they began to read.

_Everyone's favourite game! _

_Yes! It's that time again when 75 of the school don gold and red and the other 25 grumble to each other about beating them finally and how much they'll enjoy wiping the smug smile off of the oppositions face's.  
That's right, the all mighty Gryffindor Slytherin match.  
I don't exactly know why they've asked me write this as I will be playing tomorrow and surely I could brainwash you all into supporting our team. Yeah, like that would happen.  
I am writing this superb and accurate account at the dinner table as I wouldn't sit in our common room if you paid me and my desk back at the shack (or "room") is at this moment in time covered in bottles of water (Caledonian spring, of course) and extra divination homework, why I took that class I don't know as professor Trelawney has declared that she scenes an evil presence around me and I'm starting to get paranoid.  
But enough about that!  
So yeah, tomorrow the Slytherin are once again going to get their arses kicked, as I am not even going to bother to try and catch the snitch, there is no point. I might take a book up with me, something by Jane Austin perhaps (if you have not read pride and prejudice, SHAME ON YOU, It is brilliant). Lord Nelsons trousers! Harry Potter (and suddenly the reader takes interest) just walked into the great hall and, it appears that not only has he forgotten his robes and is wearing baggy jeans and a two-t shirt combo (I knew it! I knew he'd be a Mosher! God damn it people, can we say, INDIVIDUALITY?) But it also seems that not even the great Harry potter can get away with combining ORANGE and RED, ah! And the baggys are aqua, people, aqua.  
Tut tut.  
Thank you for proving once again that Gryffindors have no sense of style.  
Hmmmmm  
Oh yes! The point of this.  
The game will start at eleven am sharp, be there or be…an interesting person and do something, dare I say it, DIFFERENT!  
Yours,  
D. Malfoy._

Harry just stared at the two words at the bottom of the page in shock; Ron was the first to speak.  
'Malfoy?' he gasped, 'MALFOY wrote THIS? But how? Why? He's completely dissing his house! What's wrong with him, do you think he's sick?'  
Harry turned to look at the Slytherin table and sure enough the blond was sitting there at the far end checking his nails. That were probably immaculate as always, painted black or dark purple and long, not as long as a girl might wear them, but most likely longer than Harry's. Even from where he sat Harry could see the thick dark line of eyeliner the boy was wearing and the shadow on top. Harry had to hand it to him, Malfoy took to the gothic look like a fish took to water, it was good on him, and he didn't go too O. T. T with it like some did. Malfoy looked up and saw that Harry was staring at him and gave a sarcastic little wave, he mouthed over 'take my advice' and nodded earnestly, he meant about the orange and red t-shirt affair. Harry had to stop himself from smiling, he knew it had been a bad idea, but they had been his only clean two, and he had really and truly forgotten to grab his school robes on his way out.  
He turned back to Ron and Hermione and saw that Ron had piled about 20 slices of toast on his plate 'Ron I'm not hungry.' he said, tipping the load onto his friends own plate.  
'Darn, and here's me hoping you'd not notice and eat away happily.' Ron scowled and bit into a slice.  
'Don't you eat to much ether, Ronald Weasly, the last thing I need to happen is my new keeper to be throwing up when he should be keeping goal.'  
Ron rolled his eyes, 'yes sir.'  
Harry turned to Hermione who was reading the rest of the paper and tutting over something ''mione, do we have any classes this morning?'  
'Only one, potions, so watch no one poisons you, god, would you look at this, another goblin rebellion going to begin soon, that's just what we need right in the middle of a war!'

The first thing they noticed as they walked into the potions classroom was that Snape wasn't there, but the rest of the Slytherins and Gryffindors were, the second thing they noticed was that the Slytherins had blocked Malfoy out of their group, but Malfoy ether hadn't noticed or didn't care as he was combing out his hair and measuring his fringe's length on his face, when he pulled it down it got just past his top lip. He looked up when the three came in then looked back at the silver strands between his fingers, Harry couldn't remember when he'd noticed that Malfoy didn't scowl at them or indeed, do anything nasty at all, probably since the start of this term, Sixth year, what he had noticed though, was that Malfoy was very often alone and had seemed to drop in the popularity rates with the Slytherins.  
They sat down at their desks and got their books out of their bags, Hermione gave them each a note just as Snape stormed into the classroom.  
'Right class! Pay attention, today we are going to make a very simple potion, that should take no more than ten minutes to make, therefore if anyone gets it wrong or takes longer than said time I will deduct twenty points from their house ARE YOU LISTENING LONGBOTTOM! This potion will make the drinker invisible but we are going to dilute it so that you will only be a little transparent for a couple of minutes, I cant have a bunch of invisible sixth formers running around creating havoc, can anyone tell me what this potion is called?' Only Hermione and Malfoy stuck their hands in the air, though Malfoy didn't so much stick up his hand than put it forward in front of him so it looked like he was pointing at Snape, 'yes, mister Malfoy?'  
'Elbisivni.'  
'Yes, well done, ten points.'  
'Maybe it would be better to award those points to the Gryffindorks.' a Slytherin muttered beside him making the others in his house laugh.  
'What was that Brooks?' Snape snapped  
'Nothing sir.'  
'Right then, copy down these notes and we'll get to work.  
There was a scrabble to get Quills and Harry finally read the note he'd been holding in his hand:

_Harry,  
Why do you think the ferrets fallen from grace? I reckon because his gone Goth and they've freaked on him, write back,  
Love Hermione  
Xxx_

Harry dipped his quill into the ink then scribbled back quickly:

_I don't know, maybe he's decided that being a git is boring or something? What do you think Brooks meant by awarding points to Gryffindor instead?  
Harry _

He gave it to Ron who gave Hermione his note and what must have been his own reply, he must have written roughly the same as Harry because she turned around and shrugged at them both.  
_Oh well,_ Harry thought, _he's a big boy now, he can look after himself._

Their potions took little more than ten minutes and soon they were all nicely transparent, chatting away about who looked most like a ghost.  
Ron had laughed himself half to death when he saw himself, claiming that it must be great being a ghost, Hermione had told him not to say that anywhere near Mertal and he started to laugh all over again, saying that they should all go visit her and live in her toilet for a while, Harry said he'd pass.  
Now they where all just sitting talking, and Harry was only half listening to what his friends where saying, something about why they needed to do homework (Hermione) and why homework was pointless (Ron) his eyes drifted over to the Slytherin table where they where all scowling at each others see through form, Malfoy however, was looking at his hands with a bemused expression on his face, suddenly he stood up and walked towards the door, Snape looked up from the exams he was marking  
'Where are you off to Mr Malfoy?' he asked him, raising an eyebrow.  
'Simple sir, I'm going to jump of the astronomy tower.' Malfoy stated and Snape's mouth twitched into what might have been a smile  
'Dare I ask why?'  
'Well I'm hopping I will become a ghost, eternal youth, eternal life, in an ironic kind of way and to top it off, this cool transparent thing, years from now, when people ask me how I died, I can make up elaborate death stories, involving love, or possibly murder.' Malfoy said this like it was the most common thing in the world, to hurtle yourself from a building just so you could become a ghost.  
'Actually,' Hermione piped up, 'you might not become a ghost, its quite rare for that to happen.'  
Malfoy glared at her, for the first time this year, but here was something about it, it was like how Ron might glare at her, no spite behind it.  
'You always spoil my fun! Remind me to haunt you.' he stalked back to his table and threw himself onto his chair.  
'Still the king of strops I see,' Harry heard Ron mutter beside him, 'knock him off his broom Harry, maybe he'll get his wish.' Ron said darkly, and Harry laughed, though he didn't really think it would be a good idea to kill Malfoy, somehow he couldn't see how he would get away with it, Malfoys father was sure to notice his sons absence at the end of term.  
'Right class, put away your books, class is over.' Snape said sharply, the class cheered.  
Ron and Harry looked at each other: it was Quidditch time.

The teams walked out to meet each other, and Harry and Malfoy shook hands, Being that the Slytherin team captain didn't want to touch Harry, Malfoy had snarled 'oh grow up' before grabbing Harry's hand and shaking it for his stroppy team captain.  
Harry saw two silver rings on Malfoy's hand, one had a crest on it that could only be the Malfoys; it had a snake with wings on it destroying what was unmistakably a primitive muggle village. The other had a 'S' on it that was studded with what looked like small diamonds, 'S' for Slytherin, Harry thought. Malfoys nails were painted black with an emerald green streak down the middle to match his Quidditch robes, they were also incredibly neat and all the same size, Harry suddenly became very ashamed of his own short bitten ones.  
'Right teams, mount your brooms' Madam Hooch called, 'lets have a nice, clean game.'  
Harry kicked off, and closed his eyes as the wind hit his face, sending shivers down his spine, this was what he was good at, he thought, not books or spells or potions, but flying. He opened his eyes and looked around for the snitch, it was no where to be found just now so his eyes returned to the game, Slytherin had possession right now, their captain was grinning as he sped towards the Gryffindor goals, if he scored the first points in the game there would be no end to the taunting… Ron caught it at the last minute and Harry gave him a little whoop. He tossed it over to Lucy Springfield, a little lithe second year girl who was faster than the wind once she got going. She was racing up to the other end, yellow hair streaming out behind her, then she dodged the keeper and scored Gryffindor's first goal of the match, the crowd cheered and she gave them a little loop de loop. Harry laughed at her and waved, she blushed a little then raced after the Quaffle again. Draco looked up in vague amusement when he heard the crowd go off, then went back to his book; there were only so many times you could watch your team getting it before you got majorly bored of the whole event, and anyway, this was a good chapter of P and P, a trivial little boys game wasn't going to get in the way of… a shadow fell over his page, he looked up and there was his captain glaring at him.  
'…Hello…' he said, trying to avoid the murderous look in the captain's eyes  
'You do realise we're one hundred poi-' the crowd cheered again, 'one hundred and ten points behind! Stop reading that trash you queer an start looking for the damn snitch!'  
'It is not trash, I will not look for that yellow golf ball with wings and I am not 'queer' I am eccentric and misunderstood, the reason we are so much behind, and I do use the term 'we' loosely, is because your fellows cannot move their lazy arse's fast enough to catch up with a bunch of second and third years, now, piss of, your making me flush and its not a good look.'  
His captain glared and raised his hand as if to strike him, instead he ripped the book out of the smaller boys hands and threw it down to the ground, Draco glared at his back as he flew away.  
Harry had watched that little scene with interest, he hadn't heard what the two had been saying but it had looked quite fierce, and when the seventh year boy's hand had came up Harry was ready to catch Malfoy if he had been knocked out. Malfoy turned to look at him now and saw him staring at him; he waved and smiled in a stressed out air hostess kind of way. Harry saw it as if it was slow motion, just as Malfoys hand opened up to wave a little shot of gold flew into it and the fingers instinctively closed around it, Malfoy turned and looked at his hand, then gave quite a comic double take, he then brought it down and flew over to Harry, grabbing the dark haired boys hand and pushing what was unmistakably the snitch into it.  
'Think this is yours… so that's what they look like at close range'  
Harry looked at him in shock, so did the rest of the players on the pitch, so did all the spectators, everyone had seen what had happened, and no one could seem to really believe it, least of all Malfoy, by the look on his face.  
Suddenly the Slytherins erupted and the team hugged each other, though no one congratulated Malfoy. He didn't really seem to notice as he was still looking at the thing in Harry's hand with scepticism.  
'That isn't right, it was a fluke, demand a rematch' he muttered.  
'Are you mad? You just won, the first game you've one against me and you want a rematch?"  
"But I didn't win, not really, it was a fluke, twist of fate, whatever…its not right" Malfoy looked at him, and for a brief moment Harry saw pain in the blond's eyes, "I'm going to get hell for this, it was bad enough just the Slytherin."  
Then he left Harry's side and flew down to the ground to grab his book, before turning to the Slytherin changing rooms with a beaten, crushed look.

"And then he said 'I'm going to get hell for this, it was bad enough just the Slytherins.' Harry finished and looked at Hermione and Ron.  
"Well then he's noticed himself that they've all abandoned him" Hermione stated "but we still don't know why… here's the deal, in potions next week if one of us has to go partners with him-"  
"I hope you are not suggesting we play therapist to ferret." Ron said blankly, staring her out.  
"Not at all, but next week we're working on a truth potion, and it be a good time to ask him questions about it, see if its anything important."  
"Oh come on, he's a sixteen year old boy, he's probably not got the right designer trainers to be part of the gang any more, or it's the fact he's gone Goth all of a sudden," Ron said exasperatedly, "what do you think its about!"  
"You forget we are in the middle of a war and Draco's father is high up on the dark side! Has it crossed your mind that he may have done something to disappoint or betray them? Sixteen is the age that you can receive the dark mark, and am I the only one to notice that when he's rolled up his sleeves that there's nothing there?"  
Ron looked at her in silence; he looked at Harry and then back to his girlfriend.  
"Didn't think about that, sorry," he muttered looking down.  
Hermione smiled "that is evident but when have you ever thought about anything?"  
Harry grinned as Hermione patted Ron's head sympathetically.  
"Right," Harry sat up, "we have our plan, but how do we get it into action?"

Draco sighed, it was no good, he had screwed up royally where Harry was concerned, actually asking for a rematch, if that wasn't the stupidest thing he'd ever done then it was saying he was getting hassle from his housemates.  
He sighed again and looked into the mirror properly.  
_What do you see?_  
His father had asked him that on his first day of school.  
He had answered simply. _Myself.  
Really Draco? Will I tell you what I see?  
Yes.  
I see a frightened little boy who doesn't know where he wants to go in his life, who's terrified about his future and living up to everyone's expectations, a little boy who has never had to think for himself before and now he has to go to school where there will be no one to hold his hand. Are you scared?  
Yes.  
Don't be, you are my son, and the name Malfoy counts for something, you will never be on your own._  
Oh how wrong his father had been, he was alone now was he not? In his little room, even Pansy had abandoned him, and he hadn't expected that, you don't simply abandon someone you claim to love did you? He wouldn't know; he had never been in love.  
He looked at his lined eyes, the black above them, and smiled. He couldn't take it off now, the make up, it was his mask, and he felt vulnerable without it. The last time he had seen himself without it was in the summer holidays: When he was still able to take it off at night, he had looked so young he had shocked himself, so helpless and exposed. With it on no one got in his way, even without Crabbe and Goyle he was left alone. With it on he was cold and cruel looking and no one bothered him. That was the way it was supposed to be, Malfoy's did not have feelings.  
He sighed once more before turning and looking at the unused paper on his bed. He would have to write it now and run to the great hall to give it to the editor, it had to be in by nine and it was already six thirty. Couldn't let Davey down could he?

When Harry, Ron and Hermione entered the hall Malfoy was all ready there, sitting at the very end of his table scribbling away at most likely his next article. David Lorry, Ravenclaw and the Editor of the school paper, was standing over him saying something, Malfoy said something back that made David laugh and pat him on the head, (which Malfoy took surprisingly well) before turning back to his own table.  
"I knew it," Ron said flatly beside him, "he's sleeping his way into power."  
"Don't be so crude," Hermione snapped back at him, "go eat something, you only get like this when you're hungry."  
"Not where Malfoy's concerned." He answered before biting into a piece of French bread laden with mayonnaise.  
"That is disgusting," Harry said with a shudder, "how can you eat that stuff?"  
"Easily, want some?" Ron grinned as he waved the bread near Harry's face, who tilted back on his chair to avoid it.  
"No, thank you, I'd rather eat the giant squid whole while it was still alive."  
"They do that in some cultures," Hermione mumbled, "but obviously not _giant_ squid."  
"Way to much information 'mione." Ron grumbled, helping himself to more bread, "where do you learn this stuff anyway?"  
"I just pick it up."  
Harry felt his eyes once again drift over to Malfoy. He was prodding his plate with mistrust, before finally pushing it away from himself and getting up to leave. On his way past the Ravenclaws he handed David his report and whispered something in the boys ear that made him grin.  
Draco crossed the great Hall and scooted out of the door quickly, Harry watched as five Slytherins got up to leave as well, all looking deadly determined. He nudged Hermione, who shrugged.  
"Do we follow?" he whispered.  
"Can we afford to if they get nasty?"  
They looked at each other, Ron suddenly got up. "Come on then, we've got a case to solve." They did look for them, they really tried to find Malfoy in time, but they couldn't, they looked everywhere and the boy wasn't found. It was two hours later when Colin Creevey told them Malfoy had a run in with his housemates, and by that time the damage had been done; the boy was black and blue. And it was clear to everyone who had half a brain that Draco Malfoy was an outcast, and he was on his own.

review cause this story used to have loads of reviews, and now it doesnt, even if its just to say hi! love and stuff, Elly xxx


	2. forever blackeyed

Ok yay! So I got 8 reviews….well, 7, one was a fake review, so I think Ill say thank you, cause that's a nice thing to do:

**Emerald Raven**: there you go, more. Hope it wasn't anything important that was burning….

**Okane**: your wish is my command, here's some more.

**TheAlmightykat**: your mean, at least read before you flame, then you'd have some REAL ammo.

**CDW:** here is some more, and yes, Draco is amusing, God bless sarcasm.

**Chloe:** I recived no txt! Yep long time no see, cause you have apparently decided that MSN is evil and havnt been on in ages…

**Mis-HD:** I'm glad you likey, Harry will arse kick but much much later, probably chapter 10….maybe…

**Skarla:** read my profile, there's your answer, yes I'm back, I needed to go off and grow up a bit, that's all.

Shootingoftheobcene: damn you have a long name! Glad you liked it, here's some more unique-y goodness (iv never before been called unique, hehe!)

_**Forever black eyed**_

**__**

**__**

"OI! MALFOY!"

Draco turned around, and his blood froze, striding towards him were five enormous seventh year Slytherin males, all looking ready to kill and out for Blood, his instincts told him to run, but unfortunately he'd never been very in tune with his instincts.

"What?" he called back to the boy in the lead, his Quidditch captain, Roy Anderson.

"A word, boy" he growled menacingly. By this time Draco was surrounded, and he was beginning to feel more than a little panicky. Anderson strode forward and took him by the throat, squeezing down a little to show he meant business. "Listen to me, you little fag, you ever give a little display like this morning again and you won't be able to rest until you're six feet under." Draco tried to swallow, but couldn't because of the hand trapping his airways. "Now, you're going to say you're sorry, and you're going to do it on your knees."

"No" he managed to gasp, Anderson's eyes flashed, and then the stronger boy rammed Draco into the corridor wall.

"What was that, Malfoy?"

"No, I won't apologise, not to you, not to anyone, Malfoy's don't apologise."

Anderson brought his fist up to Draco's face for the second time that day, only this time he was struck, and received a nasty blow to the head. Draco cried out a little, and Anderson smiled, "I hope you can take a lot of pain, Mr. Malfoy." he whispered into Draco's ear before dragging him into a near by classroom and throwing him to the cold stone floor. The other Slytherins circled and began to deal it out as well, one kicked him so hard in the stomach Draco swore he felt one of his ribs break.

_Well_, he thought grimly, _it's a new experience to say the least, if not a very nice one._

"Now, are you ready to say you're sorry?"

"Yes" he moaned, he was in so much pain. This was worse than at home, or when he fell off his broom when he was eight. He was dragged over to Anderson's feet and forced to kneel up, his head was bowed, more because his head was heavy due to all the blows he'd received than anything else, when he began to speak.

"I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry," he began. Then something inside him snapped, he was sick of this, sure, in a fight he wouldn't win, but he could be a fantastic runner up when he tried, he looked up straight up into Anderson's dark brown eyes, "I'm sorry I didn't realise what a loser you are earlier, I'm sorry I followed you around last year like a puppy, hoping you would notice me." He took a breath, and managed to get to his feet. "I'm sorry you've got such a big problem with me, I'm sorry you're a chauvinistic pig, a bigot, a racist and homophobic. I'm sorry you're mother never had an abortion, I'm sorry you're so lonely and unhappy with your life you have to take it out on kids like me."

Anderson uppercut him and he fell back down to the ground, he tasted the blood in his mouth, he saw Anderson's Nikes, and he spat.

Anderson's eyes narrowed, "That's sixty pounds worth of shoes down the drain."

"Watch as I weep for you." Draco growled up at him.

Anderson laughed cruelly "You are a sad, sad little boy Draco, at the end of the day you have nothing, no friends, no personality, you're not smart, I've seen your grades. You're not even that pretty, you've got no body to speak of, there's nothing going for you, nothing at all. You hide behind your fancy words and your clothes and your make up, but you cant fool me little one, because I've known you too long for that, night-night Drake, pleasant dreams."

Anderson left, followed by the rest of his goons, and Draco was left to his thoughts and his pain.

He looked bad.

Seriously bad.

There was no way that anything he wore could take people's eyes from the bruising on his face and the cut on his lip. But that was, all in all, the least of his worries.

He wasn't safe now, he'd always believe no matter how bad the taunts got and the kicks and the shoves, that they couldn't have done anything like that to him. The bruises, the cuts, and last night the broken rib, they hadn't done any lasting damage, but what Anderson had done to him, what his captain and once upon a time friend had said, that had hit him where it hurt. Anderson was right, he did know him too well, Anderson knew exactly how to press his buttons, so to speak, and it was killing him, he was insecure as it was. Never in his life had he been more humiliated than he was last night, being forced to his knees in front of him.

It could have been worse. But would it be that next time? He shuddered; he didn't want to think about next time either. At least he had had the courage to spit the blood out all over Anderson's new shoes, Nikes, expensive ones at that. He smiled bitterly, that had not really been a consolation to what they had done though had it?

And now he had to go to class like nothing was wrong, and put on a sense of cold calmness, and pretend not to notice everyone's stares and glares and murmurs, he was getting tired of it, so tired, there was almost no point getting up in the mornings.

But he did.

He relined his eyes and neatened them up, pulled on his dark school robes and laced up his boots, Draco gave himself a once over and smiled.

"Come Mr Malfoy, your public awaits!"

The whole hall turned when Malfoy had entered. Everyone knew what happened, though none new the details save the Slytherins. The other houses, though Malfoy was no ones favourite person, thought it had been unfair. There had been five against one, and Malfoy was not known to be the best built boy in the school, nor any good at fist fighting. He hadn't stood a chance.

Malfoy had stopped dead when he had seen the five boys at the table, everyone had half expected him to turn around and run right out again, but instead he stuck up his chin and marched right over to the Slytherin table. With one hand he grabbed a coffee pot and a mug, with the other he grabbed two chairs by their backs and took them all into the middle of the hall.

Everyone then watched as he transfigured one of the chairs into a table (Professor McGonagall nodded with approval but tried to cover it up with a cough) He then stood up on the table and began to speak, the Hall was so quiet he didn't even have to raise his voice.

"Now listen, I'm not the best public speaker but there is something I have to say, it is perfectly obvious to me that you all know what happened last night, and that is more fine by me, as now I don't have to string you all the 'I slipped in the shower' line, which is over used in prison movies as it is. This little table you see is now my table, and anyone else's if they care to join me, not looking directly at David Lorry or anything, though you have to bring your own coffee," he stopped to push his hair behind an ear then jumped down from his table, 'from now on I don't have a house, I am NOT a Slytherin. You may continue to eat and read your mail and/or paper."

He sat down at his table and closed his eyes for a brief moment, well, he'd covered the rest of the school, just the Slytherin to convince now, and by the looks on their face's they hadn't fallen for the I-don't-care approach.

Harry turned to Hermione "Well…"

"Yes."

They looked at each other uncertain; there had been a quiver in Malfoys voice that you could only pick up when you had been the boy's enemy for so many years.

Ron was laughing at something and they followed his eyes to where he was looking, it was David Lorry. He was skipping over to Malfoy holding another pot of coffee. When he got to he table he went down on his knees and held out the coffee to Malfoy who accepted it and pulled David onto his knee (causing mass hysteria at the Slytherin table and a few raised eyebrows elsewhere).

"Do you think they're...?"

"No" said Lavender from across the table, "well, maybe Malfoy, but David just happens to be amazingly camp and bouncy."

"How do you know?" Ron asked chewing thoughtfully.

Lavender blushed "Do I ask you about your private lives?" she snapped back, Ron just wiggled his eyebrows.

"Why Lavender, I had no idea! And here's me thinking you're still a-"

"Save it!" she turned back to her paper, Hermione snapped her fingers.

"That's what we need, pass us one of the papers," she flicked through it until she got to the back page, an there was Draco's new report:

_Hello again_

_First of all I would like to apologise to 75 of the school, trust me that surprised me just as much, if not more, than you._

_Also my apologies go out to one Ginny Weasly who kindly pointed out that she is not a trendy but in fact a HIPPY, and I should never have called her a trendy just because she wanted Molano's._

_I'm writing this follow up report because apparently I was found out to be "funny" and people "liked" my writings, or so says David._

_At last I am loved… Ha. Ha. Ha._

_I'd also like to say that if Davey ever pats me on the head again I will have to lop off his arm, for this is very expensive hair._

_Yes so by some miracle, as Draco Malfoy (a. k. a me) waved over to Harry Potter, the snitch flew into his hand (I am not kidding, it **flew** into my hand, I didn't even see it) at the precise moment he decided to give up the team._

_Coincidence? You be the judge._

_Bringing the scores to 160-200 yep, 40 points in it._

_Once again I am writing this at the dinner table, am eating very little as I think my house "mates" may have poisoned my food, and I cant write on my desk as it is now covered in helpful notes from my "fellows" like_

'_Ya better not qit the taem or we'll do summit really bad to ya! Yeah!' or_

'_Yur pure gonna get it like!'_

_And I am just quaking in my one hundred and ten pound steel capped doctor martin boots._

_Discovered something cool today, I can ice skate across the laminate flooring in my bedroom (I say laminate I mean retro floorboards, I say retro I mean that the school is too cheap to by me a carpet so they just polished the floorboards a bit, also note that I said bedroom, what I really mean to say is broom cupboard with window… I say window I mean hole with glass, I say hole I mean crack… and suddenly it sounds like I'm describing something completely different, bugger…no! Not bugger! Ah hell…) so now I don't even have to walk in the mornings! Result! It's great fun, a new sport if you will._

_Ok, so what is the point of this, other to tell you about my own private little shack (I say shack I mean shed etc. etc.) again? Oh yeah! Quidditch. I have decided to quit the team as I feel I will never beat Potter, (am counting this one time as a very **very** funny accident) and that was why I took it up in the first place, to beat Potter. There is nothing elegant in Quidditch, and that doesn't work for me, I might take up broomstick ballet, I'd like to see anyone beat me at that! Ahha! Up yours!_

_My darling Slytherins are looking at me with contempt, why do I feel I'm going to go home and there will be a horse's head in my bed?_

_My dinner just winked at me._

_I feel sick._

_Yours,_

_D. Malfoy_

They smiled; he was really quite a good writer, in his own sarcastic way.

"Come on, we better get to class," Hermione said fiddling with Ron's hair, "do you know what a brush is?"

"Yeah, it's that thing you use to have mock fencing fights."

She groaned exasperatedly and made for the door Ron and Harry followed.

"What have we got?"

"Potions."

"We've always got potions! What's going on?" Ron said wildly, Harry personally thought it a conspiracy against his sanity.

"Don't know, maybe there's potion exams coming up that'll effect our N. E. W. T's or something." Hermione said as they made their way down to the dungeons, "Malfoy's going to get hell this lesson, Snape wont be happy with him for leaving the Slytherins and the little David display."

"Yeah I know, bit odd wasn't it, unless they are going out, but Lavenders right, David's constantly chasing girls."

"Hmmm" she said, "but it _is_ Malfoy, and I'm sure he wouldn't mind me saying he's very very pretty."

"You poor, poor girl. You're blind, aren't you?' said a voice behind them. They turned around and Malfoy was behind them smiling a little, "anyway Snape wont mind lil' ole me, we have an understanding." he nodded at them then strode past, "See you in class."

Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at his back in shock.

"Well," Ron said, "I don't think anybody expected that…"

Harry frowned, "Did we just have a small, meaningless almost casual sentence from Malfoy… as in, our Malfoy, Draco Malfoy, THE Malfoy, who has been the bane of my existence since first year?"

"It would seem like that yes." Hermione contemplated, "Come on, or we'll be late."

"Right class, as I said last week, we are to be working on a truth potion. Now, being sixth year I would like to believe you to be sensible and not ask foolish questions like 'who do you fancy?' and 'what did you and Mary really get up to behind the bike sheds?' however, I know this not to be the case." he paused, and looked scathingly around the class. _We have bike sheds_? Harry thought mildly, "which is why I am pairing you with people you don't really speak to and don't really like."

The class groaned, and Snape raised his eyebrows.

"Now here are your pairs;

Lavender Brown and Blazie Zebini 

Ron Weasley and Gregory Goyle,

Harry Potter and Mark Brooks

Dean Tomas and Vincent Crabbe

Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy"

Hermione turned to Ron and Harry and nodded. Harry tried not to smile; Hermione would be good at finding things out, she was subtle.

The potions master got to the end of his list and they all got up to swap seats. Hermione sat down Beside Malfoy who acknowledged her presence with a nod.

Hermione looked at the list of ingredient, on the list where some things that they needed and some things that they didn't, Malfoy saw her looking and leaned over to see the list.

"Don't worry, done it before, it's really quite easy."

Hermione opened her mouth as if to argue that making a truth potion was anything but easy but then remembered whom she was talking to, there was a good chance that Malfoy had been making truth potions since he was five years old.

"Now, I'm not that great at measuring, so if you can do the wolf's blood and the Unicorn tears I will love you with all my heart, but let me do the chanting ok? I don't have to read from the sheet so it'll go smoother."

Hermione looked at the bottom of the sheet, and sure enough there where some words that looked like they possibly could be Latin.

"Now, as some of you may have noticed, with truth potion there is a little chanting that goes with it, don't worry to much about that, all it does is make sure the potion takes hold and you cant fight it, you do not have to try this." Snape called across the class.

"Bugger," Malfoy whispered beside her, "and I did so want to tell you my deepest darkest secrets…"

"Which is?" she whispered back.

"I'm in fact not a rich pretty-boy from London, but actually a kitten rustler from Kentucky who likes to spend time alone with Mexicans."

"Oh right."

The next half-hour passed relatively quickly; apart from he fact Draco refused to go any were near the measuring of the liquids, and soon their potion was ready.

"Right, here we go, prepare to feel really giggly and warm Granger." Malfoy said before swallowing a ladle of the silver liquid, Hermione followed suit.

The truth potion was sickly sweet at first taste then turned horribly bitter on the tongue, she swallowed quickly, and as soon as it hit her stomach she felt the strangest feeling of well being. Malfoy obviously felt it too, because his eyes were half lidded and he had the smallest smile residing on his lips.

"My god this stuff's better than pot. So, Granger, what do you want to know?" he said a little sluggishly, leaning forward on the desk so they were face to face.

She had never looked into his eyes like this before, without the hate in them, and it was quite unnerving. His eyes were silver, not grey; they couldn't be described as grey, not only that but they were unreadable, completely and utterly unreadable, the eyes of the dead staring out from the face of an animate corpse. He was so pale; it was almost exotic in a way, with dark rings under the lined eyes from lack of sleep, his white hair falling into the dead eyes. The very image of a fallen Angel.

Hermione was, for once, stuck for words, she couldn't think of a single question to ask.

"Um… um, what's your middle name?" she said, for lack of things_ to_ say.

"My middle name? I have four, full title being Draco Marvelo Rupert Xavier Lucifer Malfoy, as you can see, my parents hate me, or at least my mother does, she only took it out on me because her name is Narcissa Claudine Hermantrude du Lillie."

"Du Lillie? She's French?"

"Oui, as is most of the family, where did you think Malfoy resided from? It was once pronounced Màlfoyé, but with the French revolution and all the nonsense surrounding that and the Malfoy family castle being in England it was discreetly changed."

"I had no idea there was so much history wrapped around you."

"There are many things you don't know about me." he said leaning back in his chair. Hermione, not knowing if it was the truth potion or the fact she had never spoken properly to him, found him fascinating.

"Malfoy family castle?"

"You expected anything less?" his left eyebrow shot up and he smiled a little.

"No, I suppose not, knowing you, you had to live somewhere impressive and out of the ordinary, tell me, is it on top of a cliff hanging over the sea, surrounded by mystery?"

"No, but it is in the middle of a small witching village twenty miles away from London surrounded by sheep." He grinned, "Now, little Miss Granger, tell me, what's your middle name?"

She blinked, middle name? Oh yeah, that's what had started off the questions.

"Its Rebecca, not that great I know, but its normal."

"Yup, what's life like as a muggle anyway? Is it just your mother and father that knows or?"

"Mum and dad, yeah, my cousins too, but that's about it, as for being a muggle in the summer holidays its alright, nice to get back to normality, if you know what I mean." She shrugged and realized before he said it that he probably had no idea what muggle life was.

"I wouldn't know, as I'm not a normal kid, my life's more screwy than even most wizards."

"How so?" she said innocently.

"Two words; Interspecies breeding." Draco laughed a little at the shock on Hermione's face.

Hermione frowned, "What?"

"Mother and Father, mother has somewhat… vampiric tendencies, and father's grandmother was a Veela, which sort of equals that I have devil child syndrome, note the pale complexion and fangs."

"Fangs?" she leaned forward, he opened his mouth wide, showing off perfect white, sparkling teeth, and he was right, his canines were all elongated with wicked sharp points and his eye teeth were slightly pointed as well.

"Mothers are better, we had a fight and she bit me, it scarred."

"Oh wow, can you draw blood?"

"Easy, wanna see? It's quite nice actually"

"No thank you, so are you happy with your life then, being so…different?"

He blinked a few times. He hadn't expected a question like that.

"No," he replied.

"Why, what's wrong with it?" that was it, Draco couldn't stop himself from telling her, he had mumbled the words as he had stirred the potion, he hadn't meant to, but it came naturally.

"Everyone wants me to be something I cant be, they ether want me to be perfect or they want me to be god awful so they can hate me with a clear conscience," Draco sighed, "I'm trapped between trying hard to please some and being deliberately nasty for others and I cant do it, GOD, why did you have to ask me that?" he couldn't understand it but he was so angry, she'd pushed him too far, 'Why do you always go out of your way to be so much better than me and show me up all the time? Why did you all judge me before you got to know me?"

"We didn't, you did!" she argued back.

"No, you don't get it, I didn't know any better. I honest to god thought it was alright to be like that, but you lot, you had love and friendship and you're all so smart, you three have everything! His eyes where almost watering with rage, but it was with more than just rage that he buried his face in his arms, to god, if he never drink another truth potion ever again it'd be too soon, he could feel Hermione's eyes on him.

"Don't cry, Draco," she said in what he thought to be a patronising voice.

"Cry, who's crying? It's not me! Malfoys don't cry! Do not be so stupid!" Draco snapped at her and luckily the bell rang right then. Draco grabbed his bag and left Hermione to tidy up. He started to run down the corridor, what right did she have to tell him not to cry! Just so she didn't get into trouble! Well, he wasn't crying, he doesn't cry, he never has and he never will! He hated her, he hated them all, if he was being too nice to them all of a sudden, well, it's about time they got to know how nasty he could be.

"He was so upset about it, I couldn't believe it, he has issues."

Hermione finished off, Ron shook his head and Harry frowned, there was something terribly wrong going on but he couldn't put a finger on it, it just didn't add up, Draco was bad, wasn't he? Since first year he'd been an arrogant little… what had changed that?

The boy in question was sitting cross-legged in front of the high table talking to Professor Snape and Dumbledore, both of them looking at him in amusement, Draco had worked himself up about something, you could tell because his already flamboyant hand actions had reached a new level. Harry shook his head, why were his eyes always drawn to Draco anyways?

_Puberty sucks_, he thought to himself.

"I just don't see how we cant have a Malfoy house, we were around during the founders time where we not? I don't want to stay with that lot, they're going to kill me, I swear it!"

"That may be right Mr. Malfoy, but we cannot simply make a new house because you've had a little problem with your housemates."

"A little problem? Did you not see the bruises! I'm going to wake up dead soon!"

"Draco calm yourself, we've given you a room on your own already, you have your little table, there's that boy from Ravenclaw sticking up for you, and the little redhead too, we cannot do anymore."

"But professor!"

"Discussion closed!"

_The corridor was empty, what was he looking for? It was too dark to see anything, much too dark, he shuddered, the stone floor was damp and the walls covered with some sort of slime, the boy, and it was a boy wasn't it? At his side held his hand tighter._

"_I'd lumos, but this place would be crawling in seconds, Drake."_

_The voice so familiar, so comforting._

"_It's ok," he heard himself answer, "It's not that bad."_

_They walked on further quietly. From somewhere a drip was falling. They where going down that way. The other boy stopped him._

"_Right, this is it, she's behind here, got your wand ready, are **you** ready?" he whispered._

"_Yes, as I'll ever be."_

"_Right, NOW!"_

_They burst through a hard oak door, and there was his mother, dressed exquisitely in deep crimson robes that spilled over the floor, at her feet lay his father, head in arms, sitting curled up, welts down his back, he turned to the boy by his side, and recognised him instantly, shock seeped through him._

"_Let him go Narcissa!" the boy called out to Draco's mother, she laughed, and shook her head, long golden curls spilling out everywhere._

"_Cant do that I'm afraid Harry, and you've brought me my little Drake. How thoughtful, put him over there. I'll deal with him in a minute."_

_She turned back to Lucius and kicked him in the side, "Take one last look at your baby boy my darling, Avada-"_

Draco woke up covered in sweat. He'd been there, he'd seen it all. He felt the heat fire in the grate, the tears running down his face, the grasp of Harry's hand in his. He knew that room. It was their dining room back at home, he knew those robes his mother wore, _to hide the blood_…

"Shit."

well, um, what can i say but... review review review! please? Ill give you candy?

love peace and sour skittles

Elendor

xx


	3. the lady of the lake

Ok people! Probably not going to be another update this week after this, as next week at collage is going to be pure hell and stress and stuff. Anyway!

**Mis-HD**- fine, don't take my candy, but here's an update anyway. Draco doesn't know what he likes, and Harry will take ages to get any sort of clue cause he's a teenage boy…. Thanks for reviewing!

**Jen **(of the **red robe** variety)- don't be silly, chavs cant read…. I should know, I'm going out with one. Ok, I'll send it to you tonight alrighty? Then you can fiddle about with it and stuff…. Cheers!

**Emerald Raven**-I am not sure what le shex is, but thank you. And yes, I do in fact rule, you're so right! Lol, thankies for the review.

**CDW**- here is some more, and yes he did, and its not going to be the last time, for he is in high school, the most violent school of all, moohaha! Thank you for reviewing.

**Desicrated**- ok, cool…I think…. Anyway, enjoy!

**Black Majik**- I thought I told you to stay away from my family! And you're shitter, so meh! And are you sure you want to go to Iona, cause I recon they kill outsiders…. And mongeese, and they will put us in a pie….

So here you go, chapter three!

_**The Lady of the Lake…**_

_Tapping, tapping at the window, an owl._

_What's an owl coming here for? Its not breakfast yet is it?_

_Let it in, for god's sake, let it in._

_Take the parchment._

_**Draco, wake up.**_

Draco woke with a start, someone was at his window…

His eyes cleared, it was just an owl, he sighed and pushed himself out of bed.

'What? What do you want?' he muttered, opening the panes of glass and taking the paper from the owl. It stayed sitting on the window still, obviously waiting for a reply. Draco rolled out the parchment and as he read the words printed there in thick green ink his heart froze;

_Drop a penny in the lake_

_Try to think of your mistakes_

_Do you remember when you killed her?_

_Weep your tears of blood and silver_

How could this be? No one knew, no one at all, He grabbed a Quill and scribbled on the other side of the parchment

_Who are you?_

He tied it back onto the owl's scaly leg and watched it fly away.

This couldn't be happening, no one knew about Isabella, no one at all.

His Hair.

Should he wear it down? Properly down, without even straightening it, leaving it curly and down and reaching the nape of his neck. It was longer when it was straight.

It would give them all a fright; no one knew he had curly hair. Well, not so much curly but wavy. Should he leave it? In his dream last night it had been down, hadn't it?

Why Harry? Of all the people in the world it WOULD be Harry that showed up in his dreams… granted it was hardly a nice dream, the sort you would expect to have the tall dark beautiful Gryffindor to be in… no, not beautiful, boys aren't ever described as beautiful Draco. Its just you that people talk about that way, you big girl.

Was he really surprised? He'd analysed himself over the holidays, and discovered he had yet to find his sexuality, he didn't mean he couldn't decide, boys or girls, he meant he wasn't attracted to either, he found some girls pretty, some boys hansom, more boys than girls, he'd developed a sort of fascination on David, David was amazing, (but that was a sort of, wow, you're my cousin, that's weird! kind of way) but other than that, nothing. The fact he might turn out to be gay didn't surprise him, in fact he would have been surprised if he turned out to be straight, as girls never held any sway over him, perhaps because he was shit scared of his mother, maybe she'd given him a complex?

Yes, blame it on her.

Hair, what are you going to do with your hair?

What kind of letter was that to send to someone anyhow? Foolish riddles, probably some of the Slytherin kids having a joke, no one knew about Isabella.

He was four; he hadn't meant too, she slipped.

It wasn't his fault!

What time was it anyway, before he started to fiddle with his hair.

Four am.

Oh, fantastic.

'Harry James Potter is not affecting my mind, it was a dream, and it was a freaky-ass dream at that.' He said out loud to himself, 'now, I'm going for a walk, to clear my head.'

He pulled on a pair of black jeans and threw on his robes and ran a comb through his hair. Unlocking his door, he turned an eye to the letter on his bed, it might have been his imagination, but the wind whispered in his ear

_Isabella._

He'd always loved the grounds at night, maybe it was twisted but he found something amazing about the shadows and the danger that loomed effortlessly around the forbidden forest, maybe he should sneak in and have a shuffle about, but if there was ware wolves in there he didn't really need to add another gene to the Malfoy name.

The stars were so bright in Scotland; different from the cloud of pollution that hung over London and its surrounding area, meaning he never saw stars like these at home.

The lake looked good too this time of night, pitch black and bottomless by day it looked like a vast pool of blood on the ground at night.

Ok, no more watching '_The Shinning'_ for a while.

He put his hands into his pockets to keep them warm, and was the familiar feeling of cold metal on his skin. He brought out his hand again and saw the glinting of two gold coins in his had.

Splash.

He watched as the coins sunk away into the darkness, two whole galleons. No matter, he'd never much liked the colour gold.

Maybe he should hint to Weasly about buried treasure, God knows he had to be nasty to Weasly some time soon, or it wouldn't just be Granger who noted a change in him.

Idiot, breaking down in potions like that.

Something caught his eye; he turned his head, and down by his side sat a pretty, long haired girl with pale skin and pale eyes.

_Isabella._

'What? You look like you've seen a ghost' she smiled at him, and then shrugged. She was staring out into the water. 'I'm somewhere in there still, aren't I? You never found me, no one even bothered to look.' Her smile had faded.

'I'm-'

You're sorry, I know, I know it already, doesn't change the fact that I'm dead now does it?' she smoothed out a few crumples in her lilac dress, it was a style of dress, with frills and bows, that Narcessa had always dressed her daughter in.

'Mama never forgave you did she? For being alive when I wasn't.'

Draco looked away from her. Then sat down cross-legged beside her.

'All she wanted was a daughter, she didn't need you, I cant imagine what she felt when it was the boy that survived, the boy that lived,' she giggled, 'looks like you have more in common with Potter that you thought.'

'It wasn't my fault.'

'Do you really believe that?'

Silence. Isabella, cruellest girl he knew.

'You just stood there, looking at me as I went under the water, I kept thinking, 'give me your hand! Give me your hand!' but you were frozen to the spot, so I thought 'go and get help! Go and get help!' but-'

'I didn't, and by the time I realized what happened you were gone.'

'Dead dead dead' she laughed again, 'leaving you to a life of agony, I shared the womb with you, I dried your tears when the night time came, I held your hand when Mama and daddy had fights, I was the stronger one'

'I don't want to be alone any more Izzy' Draco began, shaking his head and clinging to her. She patted him lightly on the head.

Shhh, you are alone Draco, there's nothing we can do about it, you were a twin, supposed to spend your life as part of a pair, but God had other plans.'

She moved so his head was in her lap.

'Now, sleep'

'I love you'

'Of course'

Askaban was driving him insane.

Lucius once again tapped out the little tune on the bars to his cell and sung it quietly under his breath as he went along.

'_itsy bitsy spider climbed up the water spout'_

He started laughing again, a flat, mirthless laugh.

_'Down came the rain and washed the spider out'_

It wasn't the only thing he could play; he could do little miss muffet and humpty dumpty as well.

_'Out came the sunshine and dried out all the rain'_

Lucius wasn't very well, he'd caught a cold in the damp cell, and being half veela wasn't doing it any good.

_'And itsy bitsy spider climbed up the spout again.'_

His eyes were vacant, dead in his skull; he was getting too thin as well, not eating. He wasn't starving himself, he just forgot to eat. He scuttled over to the wall beside his bed, well, the straw on the floor he was supposed to sleep on, and took the piece of chalk Draco had slipped him out of his pocket. He was drawing a mural, to all the people he had ever killed, it was quite good, he thought, almost finished.

Pretty names these people had, it made him smile, he adored pretty things, drawn to them like a moth to a flame.

Narcessa had been pretty, that's why he'd gone to her, and fallen in love.

Now Draco was pretty, made sense. His beautiful baby boy, who'd had to spend all summer alone with his mother, ah, Lucius would make it up to him, buy him another guitar or that record he'd been after, what was it? Appetite for destruction, Guns n roses. No one could accuse him of not listening to his son.

Click click click went something down the corridor, Lucius slowly raised his head

High heels.

_Narcessa_.

'Harry?'

'Mmhmm, what?'

'Wake up! Its nine o'clock!'

Harry's eyes snapped open.

'What!'

'I lied, but you have to get out of bed, you had another nightmare and smashed your water jug, your hand is bleeding' Ron was down on the floor picking up the shards of glass without being asked, Ron was used to it now, the screaming for Sirius, in fact, he would be more concerned if Harry had slept peacefully.

'Oh… what time is it?'

'Six'

Harry stared at his best friends back, he hated this, doing this to Ron night after night, but its not like he could control his dreams.

Harry went through to the bathroom and grabbed a couple of tissues to wrap around his hand; luckily there was no glass in the cut.

'Ron, you need a hand?' asked Harry sitting back down on his bed.

'Eh, no, its alright, I'm almost done actually, pass over the bucket though.'

Harry did so and Ron dropped the fragments of glass into it.

'Maybe we should get you a safety jug, you know, wrapped in plastic or rubber or something.'

Harry got lost in thought, this dream, it had been different from the last, he could only remember a little, but there had been a woman in red, and Sirius hadn't been there, something else…

'-But I said to her you wouldn't be up for it'

Harry was jerked back to his dorm suddenly, 'what?

'Hermione, asked if you wanted to come to Hogsmeade, it's the last one before Halloween and since we're not restricted to robes and she wants us to go in costume, but I told her you wouldn't be up for it.'

'Hmmm, not for the costume bit anyway, who we got playing?'

'Well Dumbledore was talking about some of the older students playing, karaoke kind of thing.'

'Uh, no way! It'll be pop trash mainly sung by fifth year girls, Oh. Woo.' Harry groaned, putting his head into his uninjured hand.

'Yeah well, you can sing, do something about it.'

Harry considered, it would be an excuse to get out his bass again, he'd not been aloud to practice for ages, Hermione had started saying he loved that damn guitar more than his studies (which, he supposed, he did.) and she'd banned him from playing.

'Do you know anyone else in this school that can play? Didn't think so.'

'David can play drums, David Lorry, heard him, he's good.' Ron said, pulling on his sneakers and tying the laces

Wait a minute, as in, Draco's David?'

'Uh huh, but what's he going to do about it? Malfoy'll just be glad it's not all Spice girl remix's'

They smirked; even the wizarding world had fallen under the spell of girl power. Harry unwrapped the bandage around his hand, the cut was hardly deep at all, he'd survive another day.

'Come on,' Ron said, throwing Harry's clothes at him, 'get dressed and we'll go on the hunt for a guitarist'

David Lorry sat; shoes on the table, watching all the pretty young things go by.

'Man, gotta love skirt,' He said to himself, 'speaking of which, where's boy-o?'

Draco hadn't appeared yet, which was weird as the Slytherin boy was usually first in the great hall, his hand holding a cup of coffee, trying to wake up.

It was pushing half eight now and if he didn't turn up soon he wouldn't have time for coffee, not at the rate he drank it at.

It was strange to think about how Draco had turned out, even stranger that they were cousins, but still, Draco wasn't as bad as everyone made him out to be, hardly the evil incarnate people talked about, so the kid was a little depressed, so what? Everyone's a little depressed; it goes in the teenage package as well as the grease and acne.

Not that he'd ever seen Draco with a single spot, which just wasn't right.

He had spots himself and he liked to think of himself as one of the more fortunate at Hogwarts, but Draco, that skin was something else, damn Malfoys, they were always perfect.

'Uh, David?' asked a voice, David looked up from his brooding; it was that Harry Potter and his little friend, Ginny's brother.

'Yeah?'

'Um, for the Halloween thing, we've got to provide our own tunes, so we were wondering if you'd be drummer for us?' Harry asked, he seemed sincere enough, so David considered.

'You starting up a band?' He asked, he wasn't for commitment.

'Naw, just for this ball so we don't have to listen to a bunch of girls sing 'if you wanna be my lover' for half an hour' said Ginny's brother.

'Ok, I'm in.'

'Great, do you know any other guitarists?'

David smiled, yes, he did, but due to the history between those two he couldn't see it working.

'Just the one,' he answered, 'Draco Malfoy'

The tall one groaned, but Harry didn't seem so put off.

'He any good?'

'Well, lets put it this way, he taught himself to play Sweet child o' mine in a day using tabs of the internet, so yeah, I'd say he was pretty damn good.

'Isn't he into all that gothic stuff?' Harry said raising an eyebrow.

'Yeah he is, and glam rock and Musicals and 60's, 70's, 80's stuff and almost anything with a beat, I've even known him to go to a trance night or two,' He laughed at their shocked faces, 'you should know by now not to judge a Malfoy but the cut of his clothes, for example, what do you suppose his father was as a kid?'

They both shook their heads.

'He was a biker, that's right, as in, Harley, thinking he was immortal, listening to punk, where do you think Draco got it from?'

The shock on their faces was just too much; he'd have to tell Draco.

Well, maybe not the bit about his father, any time Lucius was brought up he tended to go very quiet, which was quite sweet really.

'Yeah well, anyway, he won't play, he doesn't think he's any good which is rubbish, but you should just hear him and his dad, its fantastic.'

Suddenly the great hall went very quiet and David turned to look at the great table, Dumbledore had stood up and was waiting for everyone to listen.

'Good Morning children, I would just like to say that, after the sixth and seventh years first class, could they please both make their way down to the edge of the forest, thank you.'

He sat down again and the chatter rose up.

Now, what had all that been about?

indeed, what HAD it been all about, find out, in next weeks issue of Poison, DUN DUN DUUUUUUN.

review!


	4. dream inside a dream

Thank you for your reviews! got all my collage stuff done, so I thought I'd put it up 4 days before it was due, lol, but first!

**emerald raven: **I'll have you know Issabella is NOT sweet. she is a bisnich of the first degree, and we should all learn to hate her. thank youmost of my collage work is done now! and thanks for the review!

**Robin the bird: **thank you for reviewing, Ill mail you over the weekend with ideas for your fic, I need some time to think them up, lol.

**burnfaster: **Im good eh? thank you! and cheers for the review!

**Peaceful Angel: **Im glad you still love it, I hope you like this chapter! and yes a band, every good school should have at least three!

**CDW: **lol, just shame me why dont you... can I pretend it was a typo? oh well I know now! yeah, theres going to be a lot of guilt in this fic, all entirely from the wrong people... thanks for reviewing!

**BewaretheRabbit: **please dont hate me! heres another chapter, now you have to forgive!

**thegreatowl-y:** Glad you like it, heres some more, and yes I know, But I cant seem to fix the paraghraphing, sorry!

**Jen Red Robe: **did you get my email? what I loved about your review is you didnt actually mention the fic in terms about if you liked it, hehe, and good music taste my dear.

**mis-HD: **ok, no more candy then, but how about another chapter of PoIsOn? Draco says he's disinclined to acquiesceto your request, sorry, hes a stuborn bastard, and right now he had to paint his nails...

**Black Majik: **you are a crazed mare, but I love you anyway, see what you can make with this chapter...

**:WARNING:** THIS IS A (kind of)DARK CHAPTER NEAR THE END WITH THE NIGHTMARE SCENE, NOT FOR THE FAINT HEARTED**:WARNING:**

**All that we see or seem is but a dream inside a dream...**

Severus had taken the register like he had every day of his teaching career, only today there was something wrong. Something terribly, terribly wrong.

Draco Malfoy _was not_ in Class.

Draco Malfoy had yet to miss a potions class in his life. Severus scanned his class with utter distaste, what a sorry excuse for a bunch of wizards they were. They would be lucky if they picked up a handful of N. E. W. T's all together. Hopefully they would be eaten along with the seventh years by whatever Dumbledore had in store for them.

"Does anyone know where Mr Malfoy is?" He asked his class eventually, Brooks slowly raised his hand. "Yes?"

"Probably sucking off David Lorry sir." He smirked, making half the class snigger.

Severus was really starting to dislike that boy, really he was.

"Yes well thank you Mr Brooks for your input but would you kindly shut the hell up."

Hermione raised her hand dutifully, "He wasn't at breakfast sir."

"Thank you Miss Granger." Severus nodded in the girl's direction before marking Draco on the register, as he had no note to say the boy was ill, a little red cross went into the box that said: Truant

Severus involuntarily shuddered, and put the piece of parchment face down on his desk, not wishing to have to look at it. How he despised that piece of paper. Wouldn't feel good to shred it?

Then again.

Then set the confetti pieces aflame.

Mwahaha.

He was then aware of all the wary eyes upon him

"Well? Copy the notes on the board!"

Honestly. Children.

There was a scrabble for quills and ink. Severus rested his face in his hands, elbows on the desk. He wasn't one for slouching but suddenly he was feeling completely stressed out. There was something seriously wrong with Draco. And as the boy's head of house, hell, as his duties as God Father it was his job to find out what it was. There had been no baiting Potter, no handing in blank pieces of paper as his homework and saying the ink must have run off, no scaring the first years…

Draco hadn't really been the same since Lucius was taken to Azkaban. The boy loved and adored his father; you could see it in his eyes even if he was not permitted to hug his father in public. He'd seen them, father and son, Lucius could still lift up his boy and spin him around when they did cuddle (which was a hell of a lot if Lucius was in a good mood, Draco was scarily affectionate, must be all the damn French blood, they were all for kissing strangers weren't they?). it was surprising how much he did care for Draco. Veela paternal instincts Severus supposed, and then the fact Lucius had literally been wrapped in Cotton wool by HIS mother.

Narcissa on the other hand…

Draco had had to spend all summer with her, he knew how much he feared the woman. She would hit him and scratch him and bite him if he so looked at her wrong! Too scared to even fight back because she was his Mother, too afraid to run away and leave Lucius alone with her. And then there was the refusing to bear the Dark Mark thing that had lost him all his so-called friends.

The summer holidays would have been hell.

Where the heck was he?

Hermione sighed as Brooks once again threw a crumpled up piece of paper at her and hissed "Granger, Granger!" she whipped around and, giving him her best death glare, snapped in a way Draco Malfoy would have been proud.

"What is it?" she had the urge to add 'you filthy excuse for a human being' and also the hair flick that Malfoy did unconsciously now he'd let some of his fringe down from his slicked back hair. But no one would get it apart from herself, Ron and Harry.

Brooks leaned back in his chair and sneered at her, now he had her attention it seemed he was going to drag this out for as long as possible. Great, because it wasn't like they were in Potions, the strictest class for talking that she knew of

"Very friendly with Malfoy now, aren't you Mudblood? All you little Gryffindorks seem to be getting your arse licked by him recently."

Rolling her eyes she moaned, "What are you on about? Really Brooks, I don't have time for this."

"You know exactly what I mean," He leaned further over his desk to hiss at her,

"I'm talking about that David Lorry and Ginny Weasly sneaking out of HIS room past midnight last night."

Ron spun around in his seat, eyes flashing dangerously, "What?"

Hermione tutted, "Honestly Ron, if you could be any more easily wound up you would be string."

"That's right, you're her brother, huh? I'd look after her if you know what I mean, its how HIV spread init? Through the gays then the bi's."

"Watch it, that's my sister your talking about!" Ron yelled.

"Mr Weasly, settle down!" Snape said icily over the tops of their heads.

Ron turned back around hands clenched into fists, he had gone from red to pure white in an instant, he was beyond furious. Hermione took one look at him and slapped him on the forehead. Somehow resisting yelling 'SPAM' as she did so, he looked at her startled.

"Really Ron! Ginny doesn't sleep with her Best friends, you forget how close I am to her, she would have told me if she was sleeping with Malfoy, and David Lorry, isn't sleeping with Draco either."

"Oh and why not?"

"Because David Lorry is a Kiss and tell, the whole school would know by now."

Hermione decided to leave out "and because he's seeing your sister" just because she'd have to worry for the older boy's safety if she did. Ron was still fuming though, he'd have to have strong words with Malfoy, and the sentence "Leave my sister the fuck alone" did come to mind.

"HEY! Hey guys!"

Ron, Harry and Hermione spun round and saw David Lorry jogging towards them.

"Bloody hell I gotta quit the stick if it's doing this to me." He gasped trying to get his breath back. It was all Draco's fault. When he wasn't smoking he was passive smoking from Draco, who had to have a cigarette every five minutes or so.

"Hey, yeah, did Drake turn up in potions cause I'm starting to worry. I usually see him by now, you know, jumping me as I try my best to get to class on time." He grinned, David hadn't been on time to class since… ever, really.

Harry shook his head, "Nope, he didn't turn up."

David frowned and looked away into the distance, the Three watched as his tanned face suddenly changed to white.

"Oh...my god."

They followed his gaze down to the lake where you could clearly see the black shape of a body wrapped in robes with a lot of blonde hair. David took off in a run, Harry, Ron and Hermione followed suit. Getting closer it became obvious the boy was just dreaming by the screams coming from his mouth and his hands clawing into the mud and grass by his sides. David threw himself down into a kneeling position beside Draco, unsure to whether or not wake him up.

"LET ME OUT, LET ME OUT NOW!" Draco screamed, beating the ground with his fists, "I'M NOT DEAD YET!"

_Draco was pushed, falling down straight to earth. Right into and open grave, an open coffin. The lid shut tight and he felt his body starting to rot, maggots eating him alive. Pushing and pushing against the Coffin lid he could hear chanting outside, "Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust, Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust, Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust."_

_No, no this wasn't right he was still alive this just wasn't right! The lid wouldn't open! He tried to scream but this only aloud more of the maggots to fall into his mouth. He could fell them boring their way down into his guts, his flesh already riddled with them, and he knew if they turned into flies something terrible would happen. _

_Then suddenly there came up from behind him another living corpse. Just like him now, clawing and scratching him, shaking him hard. The Corpse was just like a normal human body minus the skin, it had flaring yellow eyes with no pupil or iris, the teeth were all filled into jagged points and it was grinning manically._

"Draco…"

_Get off of me! Get off! Let me go!_

"Draco!"

"LET GO OF ME!"

"DRACO!"

And then suddenly he was awake with tears running down his face and David was holding him at arms length, staring at him with confusion. There was four lines of red down one side of Davids face where Draco must have lashed out at him. Draco could still feel the maggots crawling on him and throwing himself into David's arms he whimpered "Get them off me David please, please, please just get them off me please don't let them turn into flies please, please David please." He sobbed. David stroked his back reassuringly and rocked him a little trying to calm him down.

"Shhh, shhh, its over, just a nasty dream, hmmm, just a nasty dream."

"I'm not dead yet, I'm not I'm not…"

"I know, its alright, its just your nightmares."

"Izzy's the dead one, Isabella's dead."

David frowned at these words, of course Isabella was dead, she'd been dead for eleven years. Harry and Ron looked at each other, they had never, ever seen Draco Malfoy: Slytherin git and all around bad guy act so… vulnerable.

David was still trying to calm the boy down, he must have been buried alive again, and this one was always the worst. Draco's four deaths repeated each other again and again for the past two months, Fire, water, wind and earth; Burning, Drowning, Falling, Buried.

Draco sniffed suddenly and pulled himself away from David, this was the part where Draco got embarrassed and self-conscious. He would feel absolutely mortified once he realized Harry, Ron and Hermione were standing there watching. Draco ran a hand through lose hair, rubbed his eyes with the palm of his hand.

Reaching down into his boots he brought out his precious eye liner and started to re line his eyes, not for the first time David wished Draco could do without it for one minute. Really, if the boy could line and neaten up his eyes without even using a mirror, that was something most girls couldn't even do.

"What class do I have?" Draco asked him running a hand through his hair and scowling, "You got gel? The mop has gone curly, and now I look like a little boy."

"We're both going down to CC, no I don't and how do you know you look like a little boy?" David stood up, "You look fine. And bedside's, you ARE a little boy, I've seen you minus the boots, fool."

Draco stood up as well, scowling, not knowing if it was at David or his height.

5"5, could he be any smaller? It wasn't as though he didn't have legs…

That's when he caught sight of the three.

He felt his face flush, that was too much, not only had they caught him in his weakness. Being taught that having nightmares was the ultimate sign of imperfection, but they'd seen him crying as well. After five years, five bloody years of trying as hard as he possibly could from stopping them from seeing the tears they brought he'd lost it over a stupid dream he'd all ready had nineteen times this year. Draco did the one thing in the world he knew how to do best in situations where he was faced with a problem, he _ran_.


	5. dont forget your factor fifty

Elandor: oh yes, I know that there is an apparent "5th book" in which it crazily states that Narcy M was originally a "Black", I have only a few things to say to that, they are _ahem_

Lalalalalalalala, **I'm not listening**, lalaLA! **Who said that, huh? What's this? Book five?** LALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALA!

**Mis-HD: **uuuum, not sure, how about the next life, lol! harry cant run after him, they have a class. thanks for the review!

**Peaceful Angel:** his life is tough... ah well, Ill make it better, eventually...

**CDW:** ok, I will, here you go! I cant imagen it would be a fun experiance, no!

**Scarlet Mauve: **Yeah theres more. You want it? well, Its down there. thanks for the review!

**isa: **Yeah, how good would a Malfoy house be? I would be in it... thanks for your review! keep on readin'!

**Balines:** thank you! that review really cheered me up, ta!

**Eliora:** you didnt send me your email addy, however, when its not so late Ill mail you properly, glad we got the goth? emo? thing sorted, lol! thanks for reviewing!

**Jen Red Robe: **I do mention them again, its in chapter 8, but Ill slip something about them in another chapter then, just for you! lol, thanks for the review.

**Emerald Raven:** stop with the worship, send me gifts instead! lol, yeah, she is a bitch, majorly so... thanks for the review chick!

**Keres Weiland: **first of all, I like your name, second of all, ok. thanks for reviewing!

**nait:** I'm... not sure. she's evil, and sadistic, and thats all I know about her just now... shes good fun to write though!

**_Remeber your factor fifty..._**

_If you go down to the woods today_

_You're in for a big surprise…_

-Child's nursery rhyme

"Now, eh, ah think the reason ah've got yer all down here is tha' professor Dumbledore wants there to be quite a few of you jus' encase somethin' goes wrong." Hagrid stopped for a moment to let everyone have a mutter to each other.

Ron gave Harry a scared sort of look, Hagrid looked very nervous as it was, and they had never ever seen Hagrid look anxious about any creature he was about to show them in their lives.

"The thing is kids, eh, well, this is also kinda ah, Defence against the Dark arts class as well because… Dumbledore's managed to convince a couple of passing Vampires to talk to you."

The outbreak was deafening, Vampires! Here? Now?

Hermione looked over at Draco Malfoy, she saw some apprehension in his silver eyes but she wasn't sure why he'd be bothered about them, David Lorry was holding his hand and gave him what looked like a little squeeze of reassurance.

"All right all right tha's enough, follow me." called Hagrid, turning around and taking them into the Forbidden forest.

Draco shook his head, he didn't know what he was so worried about. The Vampires probably wouldn't be able to sense the little fanged monster in him. Besides he had a hell of a lot more Veela in him than Vampire, being that his father was a half and his mother was only one sixth or something like that. No nothing to worry about at all.

But… say the Vampies did realise something was wrong with him...

What if they told everyone else? Could he take 'Vampire' being yelled at him along with 'traitor', 'gothic', 'freak', and the occasional, 'Oi you, Malfoy boy, yeah you'?

They were being brought out into a great clearing in the middle of the woods. There in the centre was a small garden canopy just big enough to comfortably hold two people, protecting them from the harsh daylight.

'Clever' Draco thought. If the Vampires tried to grab any student the sun would burn them into cinders before they managed to do any harm at all. Draco's eyes peered into the darkness, widening, as they got accustomed to the dark. The Vampires were nothing he had expected; they were beautiful.

There was a man and a woman, the man was tall, perhaps 6"7-at least, with short dark hair cut close to his face, and deathly white skin, he was dressed in a very simple black suit, white shirt number and a wristwatch, catching the light, shone in the darkness. The woman, who was no at all as tall as the man, still stood at a very reasonable 5"7, she had such flaming red hair that spiralled down to her hips that would make any Weasly very jealous. And again her skin was the white blue of death. She was wearing a tight bodice of what looked like buffed Dragon hide and tartan, her skirts had been ripped just above the knee and the fishnets and killer boots gave away the era she had lived in or favoured above all.

'A vampire punk,' Draco thought to himself, amused, 'almost as cliché as a gothic one.'

The woman had turned to look at them as they piled into the clearing and sat down on the grass, she smiled wickedly, proudly showing off long pristine white fangs.

"Now Monica, behave." said the male, staring out at the children with little interest, and turning his head to look at Hagrid, nodding in acknowledgment.

"Young ones always look so fresh." she said wistfully, licking her red lips seductively.

Draco glanced around, like he expected, half the boys were all ready slobbering all over themselves about her. Typical. David didn't look to bad, but still seemed slightly on edge. Draco could see over by the shadowed trees Professor Lupin watching them with reservation, hairs sticking up from his arms, his body rejecting them for the dead things that they were. The older man was biting his lower lip drawing blood without being aware of it, the wolf in him telling him to rip their throats open. In a one to one fight between werewolf and Vampire, the Vampire would not be likely to come out the better.

"Are they just here to gawk at us or is someone going to give me some questions already?" the girl, Monica, muttered, annoyed that she wasn't getting blood. No one moved, they physically couldn't. Everyone was just in awe of these two beautiful Demigods, that is, everyone but Draco. The teenage boy sighed and raised his hand very slowly; Monica smiled again and shook her curls from her face, sending a ripple down the rest of her fiery hair.

"Yes?" she chirped, her voice sounding so young in correspondence to her face, sitting on the ground crossed legged. Draco wondered just how aware she was that everyone could see right up her skirt to the suspenders and frilly black knickers she keep there.

"How long have you been Vamped?"

She blinked at his question, then, realizing what he meant with a silly laugh said, "oh! Since maybe '69, I'm quite young you see, but Gillian," at this the elder vampire hissed, "Gilly's about… what is it?"

"500 years, not the eldest by far but…" he smirked a little, and then looked closer at Draco.

"You… come over here." he said frowning, Draco didn't move, "Don't worry, I don't bite…much." Monica laughed at him and nodded in earnest to Draco, beckoning with two well manicured fingers.

Draco slowly got up and walked a little further, stopping just out of their reach. He could sense that both Hagrid and Lupin were both on edge and ready to intervene if anything should happen. Gillian put his dark head to one side, as if trying to remember something, then recognition donned in his eyes.

"You're Narcissa Malfoy's son! Draco isn't it? Well, you have grown up, probably don't even remember me you were so young…Monica, look!"

The red head frowned, and then she too recognized who he was. "Oh god yes! He was about three when we saw him though. Oh how you've turned out well! Where's Isabella?" she asked him excitedly, then saw the pain he tried desperately to hide in his eyes.

"She, she died." he muttered.

"Oh… goodness…" she said, bringing a hand up to her mouth.

"Narcissa wouldn't be too happy about that." Gillian said quietly, and then looking back at Draco, _She takes it out on you?_

_Sometimes_ replied Draco, fully aware of the eyes upon him. Gillian nodded before smiling, "it was nice seeing you Draco, you've grown up well. But wait till all Hallow's eve, then the other magic inside you shall wake up. It wont just be the clothes you wear that will make you stand out."

Draco turned around and sat back down next to David, who put a protective arm around his shoulders and the class went on uninterrupted.

"That was wicked!"

"I know! I can't believe Malfoy got to speak to them!"

"I can't believe Malfoy KNEW them!" The sixth and seven years filled away and up to the castle for lunch, David and Draco walking slowly up behind them. Draco hadn't said a word since he'd sat down, and he wasn't making eye contact either. David didn't even want to know how embarassed Draco was feeling over Harry seeing him so weak.

"I put your last report in the mag."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, you're not half cheeky Draco. I bet I'd get in shit for that."

Draco laughed a little under his breath, "I just… needed to vent a little."

"Yeah, I get you." They walked on again hand in hand. An awkward silence hung around them, till David decided just to lay bare the question.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah… I'll be fine, I just wish… usually you know, I have Ada to talk to, but him being… where he is…"

"I know… me and Ginny, we're there you know?"

"Yeah…" Draco smiled sadly, those two meant well, but when they got together… there was no way to talk to them. And there was no love to replace the love of a father. Getting into the great hall they both sat at Draco's little table where Ginny ran over to sit with them. Picking up a copy of the school paper lying on the oak he flicked past the second hand broom adverts and the recipe for Cornish pixy pasties he re-read his latest report:

_Hey ho happy campers._

_Here I am to tell you about the big Halloween ball coming up (goodie, another excuse to have unprotected sex, all you couples out there) this shall be translated into all five languages we have here at our fine school (yes, I am feeling bitchy today)_

Girlys- hi girls, yes, yet another occasion to look fabulous and glam, you will be able to dress in pretty colours and flirt with boys all night! Remember, it starts at seven, so start getting ready at five in the morning (just to make sure your nails and hair are perfect!) and it finish's at one (time to get that special some one to notice you!) enjoy!

_Slytherin (you know its true)- YO ma homies, wot up wot up, get wit it, der is a bangin' party goin' on doon toon, member to wear loads o' bling. It starts seven, plenty of time to get over hangover from night before and finishes at one, loads of time to get steamin' aiiiiiight!_

_boyz-- yes boys, that time again, find yourself a girl and a robe to match the colour of your eyes, it starts at seven and ends at one, alright? David if you make me dance I shall never ever wax your legs for you again, that is a promise._

_The seemingly whole of Gryffindor - wicked, there's goanna be a like, moshpit on Halloween. Seven till whenever you fall over and DIE! Rock on!_

_Hippybitch (or "Ginny")- whoa, far out, there's like a phycadelic vibe going down on all Hallows eve and you totally have to be there to keep moi company! Meet me at six thirty and we'll get ready, bring Mary Jane, you know who I mean!_

'_Goths'- there's a thing on Halloween you have to go to because your reporting on it the next day. Yes I know you don't want to but wear black and you'll be fine. Good boy… no you cant avoid it… no, no! Bad! Go on; go choose your outfit… red? Really? Well, ok then, if you want to wear leather who am I to stop you?_

_In short, it stars at seven; finishes at one, there will be food, drink and bitches… ok I lie, just food and drink. But hey, it's all good._

_I'll be there, somewhere in the background, taking lots and lots of pictures of your drunken forms, ha ha ha. Not that this reporter is approving drunks. Not at all._

_Any way, ciao darlings, air kisses from the heart_

_DM_

_Xxx_

_p.s did you know 18 of people have never seen a newspaper? Its true!_

Wow, he really had been a bit of a funny mood last night. Ah well, that was what happened when he was in need of chocolate. Speaking of which, he was starving, and it was lasagne for lunch. As he ate he noticed that both Ginny and David were looking at him funny.

"Wha?" he asked though a mouth full of pasta and cheese.

"At least we don't have to worry about you ever becoming anorexic." Ginny said with a bemused expression.

"Mmm, yes, but you might have to worry about me becoming obese." Draco patted his stomach and sighed.

"Oh shut up," David smirked, "I could count all your ribs blindfolded they stick out that much."

They laughed as Draco's Eagle owl (who was originally called "Apollo" and now called "the artist formally known as Apollo" in tribute to Prince, or T. A. F. K. A. A. and for short Taffy, as you can imagine Taffy was a fairly confused owl by now.) swooped into the great hall with a letter that it had tried to deliver in the morning but couldn't find his master. Landing on the table it accepted some French bread from Draco before flying off again.

Draco was looking at the seal on the stamp, Ministry, why would they…? Ripping it open his eyes scanned down quickly. David and Ginny watched as any colour the boy had ran from his face.

"Draco? Drake what is it baby?" Ginny asked tenderly. Draco was in stunned silence before he suddenly jumped up and went over to the Gryffindor table and jumped head long over the table so as to grab Harry Potter and land on top of him, tackling him down to the ground.

"What the fuck, Malfoy!" Harry cried out shocked, Draco backhand slapped him, accidentally marring Harry's skin with an imprint of the Malfoy family crest.

"YOU SHUT UP! YOU CANT HELP IT CAN YOU? YOU HAVE TO MAKE ME AS MISERABLE AS YOU CAN DON'T YOU? YOU HAVE TO MAKE IT SO I'VE GOT NOTHING ON YOU! YOU HAVE TO BE **JUST** BETTER IN CLASS, **JUST** BETTER IN QUIDDITCH, **MORE** FRIENDS, SURROUNDED BY LOVE, MORE PEOPLE YOU COULD EVER BELIEVE WOULD LIE DOWN AND **DIE** FOR YOU, AND THE ONE THING I HAD THAT YOU COULDN'T, THE DAMN **ONE THING**, YOU HAD TO TAKE THAT FROM ME AS WELL!" Draco screamed at him. Ginny grabbed the letter on the table and read it quickly, not sure at all what was happening, what she read struck so much fear in her heart she felt she would burst.

_Mr.Malfoy,_

_We are sorry to inform you that your father, Lucius Malfoy, will be given the Dementor's kiss on the 1st of November 1997, his last request has been to be allowed time with you, his son. This will take place on the 28th of October, namely tomorrow afternoon._

_Sincerely,_

_C. Fudge, Minister of Magic._

She threw it at David feeling quite sick and ran over to try and wrestle Draco off of Harry.

"What do you-" Harry started, receiving another slap for his troubles, now both sides of his face stung fiercely.

"MY **FATHER** POTTER, MY FUCKING DAD! YOU'VE **KILLED** HIM! THE ONE PERSON WHO'S ALWAYS GIVEN A DAMN ABOUT ME! WHO'S ALWAYS BEEN THERE ISN'T GOING TO BE THERE ANY MORE BECAUSE **YOU** TOLD EVERYONE HE WAS A DEATH EATER! **YOU** TESTIFIED AGAINST HIM, **YOU** SHIPPED HIM OFF TO AZKABAN AND MADE HIM GO INSANE WITH GRIEF!" Draco's eyes were starting to overflow with large fat tears that fell and splashed onto Harry. They felt hotter than the marks on his face

"I didn't-" he tried again before he was cut off.

"WELL I HOPE YOU'RE HAPPY POTTER, I'M JUST LIKE YOU NOW! JUST BECAUSE YOUR BLOODY GODFATHER DECIDED TO DIVE INTO THE ARCHWAY OF THE DEAD WHY DID YOU HAVE TO TAKE IT OUT ON ME!"

Harry saw Draco's fist go back, he'd never been punched by Malfoy before, this would be an experience.

But the blow never fell, Harry re-opened his eyes to see that Ginny had grabbed onto Draco's wrist, and was shaking her head at him sadly. Draco was openly crying now, somehow avoiding the scrunched up face runny nose thing. Draco looked like the most heart breaking most beautiful thing in the whole world.

"Why did you have to take it out on me!" he sobbed, letting himself be dragged away by Ginny, "I hate you! I **HATE** YOU HARRY POTTER!"

does he? does he really? well, right now he does. no Idea when Ill next update, depends on my reviews. lol, joking, but I'v got a busy week, soI'm not sure when Ill have the time to write...

anyway, thank you all again, you all really make my day!

El

xxx


	6. TOO MUCH WINE!

Well hello! I am sitting here, with a bottle of wine, and a **Black Majik**, for we are sophisticated now that we are 17 and a half, and our men folks aresupping beer, to prove that they are men.

But enough about our little shin dig, nowfor the review replys!

**Emerald Raven:**good good, I like tulips, but to really get me send tiger lilys. here is another chapter, enjoy!do something nasty to Draco? no! noI wouldnt'!

**Peaceful Angel:** I love your reviews, your always sonice! yes poor draco, but it wont be bad forever, I promise.

**mis-HD:** This is as soon as I could update, sorry! but I hope you enjoy!

**CDW:** Here is some more, lol, almost every review says "poor Draco" you are all going to hate me after this!

**AlexLexis:** thanks for the review, here is some more fic!

**Eliora:** Please dont feel down! oh dear, maybe you shouldn't read this chapter...

**Jen Red Robe:** Im learning guitar in collage, I SHALL BE A ROCK STAR, MWAHAHA! actually I suck at it, I'll just stick to piano...

**Starsandstripes:** Thank you for a great review! cheers muchly and heres some more!

**Crowley Black:** as I emailed you, I am from Edinburger, land of Kilts, its ok, you can have bimbo moments, Im a blondie so I know how it feels, DAMN THIS CURSE OF MINE! thank you for your review!

**Isa:** yes, they are cool arnt they? vamps in general are cool, but not ascool as neville, who isinfact, da bomb. ok Ilied, Draco's articles are the funest bits to write actually! thanks for the review!

Black Majik: You are truley insane, I shall now hityou for your insaneness cause I can,cause you are right next to me, MOOHAHA!

AND NOW, A WORD FROM **BLACK MAJIK**: why, why would you be so cruel...

well, enough of that, and on with the chapter.

_I cant think of a chapter name, Im too damn drunk!_

'**I don't want to!'**

'Its not right to bottle up your emotions like this.'

'**I told you, I don't want to talk about it, so just leave it!'**

Draco Malfoy was lying face down on his bed with Ginny Weasly on one side and David Lorry on the other, Draco hadn't moved in three hours.

'I can understand that Drake but you cant let this bring you so down, you hardly saw him anyway and-'Ginny was cut off

'-What the hell do you mean by that? My father has been the one to look after me and been there for me all my life! And now he's being taken from me as well? Draco shuddered violently with tears, 'just… leave me alone'

'But Drake-' David started

'**FUCK OFF!**' Draco screamed into the pillow.

David worried at his lower lip, this time he didn't know how to fight Draco's inner Demons for him. Anderson was easy, his own popularity won over the Slytherin brute strength, Draco's dreams, all they needed was a quick hug, a shhh and a 'it'll be okay' and Draco was alright again, but this, losing his father…

'What is your problem?' Ginny stood up and crossed the room to stare out of the window, 'why do you have to keep pushing us away like this?'

'Because anyone who gets close to me dies and I don't need any more guilt on your behalf!'

A shocked silence followed this statement; even Draco himself couldn't believe he said it.

'Come on Gin, come away just now… we'll be back later Kay?'

'Whatever.'

Draco listened to the door creaking shut before he rolled over onto his back and wiped at his face with the back of his hand, he hadn't known that it was possible to hurt this much, didn't know that you could get so upset that there were no more tears to be shed, he hoped that he might of at least let Harry have something to think about.

There was a swooshing sound at his window before the sound of two high heels landing on a wooden floor, Draco looked over to his window.

'Hey there, chick pea.'

'Oww, ouch, leave me, owwwww!'

'Stop making such a fuss!'

Hermione was bathing the cut on Harry's face so that it wouldn't scar.

'You know, for the boy-who-whoops-the-dark-lords-ass-every-time-he-meets-him you're making a very big fuss about a teeny tiny cut…'

Harry tutted loudly, damn Malfoy…

Maybe it was a break in his sanity but he could understand the boys point, it would seem like that to him wouldn't it, that Harry had to be better, oh well, he'd sort it out later…

The common room door swung open and Ginny Weasly stepped through, she had tears pouring down his face and Hermione got up to give her a hug.

'What's up little one?'

'I've just had a massive uproar with Drake and it's all my fault!' she wailed.

Ron snorted, 'gee, he's making himself popular today…'

'Shut up you!' Ginny said heatedly,' tomorrows the last time he's ever going to see his father and I go ahead and say that it wont matter because he never saw him anyway! I don't know what I was thinking of, I must have really, really hurt him you know that?'

'Oh Gin, he'll know you where just trying to help him, you'll see, he'll need you soon wont he?'

'That's the thing, its like he doesn't need anyone, only his precious father,' Ginny had a bitter tone to her voice as she said it, 'he wont open up to me or David or anyone else, Draco just won't let us know what's wrong with him half the time.'

'Well…. Maybe he doesn't need you two to talk to, rather you're his friends to talk to him, sometimes when I'm upset I don't want to tell Harry or Ron, rather I just want to listen to them chat away and then they soon cheer me up and I'm fine again'

'But Draco has the sort of problems that other people just don't have, like…' she trailed off, 'It doesn't matter, I just miss Happy Draco that's all.'

'Speaking of which, when did you and him get so chummy anyway?' Ron added, frowning, 'and how come I never noticed?'

'You never notice anything; I'd have to tattoo my face before you'd notice. It was the start of term, he had to give me potion tuition, I did tell you, it must have gone over your head.'

'Oh really? And what where you dong at his place a couple of days ago to all hours with David Lorry?'

'As if that's any of your business! We just got talking, and Draco was drunk so David had to make sure he slept on his side in case he threw up and it was just…. Its just really complicated right now ok?' she pulled away and made to go up the stairs, ' I don't need your questioning as well!'

Ron made a face at Ginny's retreating back, 'Honestly, is there anyone's life that boy hasn't wreaked?'

David was sat upon the old astronomy roof looking out at the lake, there wasn't a ripple upon its undisturbed surface and as he watched the last few rays of the sun disappear behind the mountain tops he blew out a blue haze of smoke and thought about Draco, or rather, Draco's father, his second uncle.

He was worrying over how Mr Malfoy would be tomorrow, if Lucius was upset it would only make Draco worse, and god knows Draco didn't need to get any worse, the way he had spoke to Ginny, she'd looked really upset…

Things were a mess, a huge mess, could anything ever be simple in his life, you know, anything at all? Draco was difficult enough Ginny was so complicated too, she'd have flashbacks of the Chamber when he got too close to her, he didn't know what Tom had done to her but when he found out… oh what's the use? He was a memory, you can't fight memories, you of all people should know that, David.

David shook his head so that the brown curls would cover his eyes and so he was looking at the lake through a veil, taking a last draw he stubbed out the cigarette butt on a slate of the roof, flicked it away and made to climb back inside.

'What…are you doing in my room?'

Draco was staring at the girl in front of his eyes, she grinned and handed him a crumpled piece of paper, 'Here, your owl sent you this, only I sort of stopped it before it could get to you, interesting mail, by the way.'

Draco snatched the piece of paper away from cold dead hands and noted the seal was broken, he began to read:

The question is not who am I 

_But whether or not you will die_

_Line your eyes with black or red_

_By December you'll be dead_

Draco couldn't believe his eyes, it was the same on, the same crackpot that had wrote before, same ink, same lettering. He spun on the young vampire.

'Monica, is it you whose been sending these? How did you have it?'

'Whoa, easy tiger, I have no idea who sent it, but it's a droll little rhyme isn't it?'

She frowned at him, 'don't tell me your actually scared of a little poison letter.'

'Poison letter?'

'Yeah, its like, a nasty letter someone anonymous sends you to scare you shittless, its mostly big stars that get them… some chain mails are called poison letters…'

Draco scowled; he'd never looked at it that way.

'Anyway, your interesting mail is not what I have come to talk to you about, I have come to offer you something.'

'What?'

'Immortality.'

Draco looked slightly confused at this, until he worked out what she had meant, 'uh, no thank you I'm fine right now.'

'Did I say you had a choice?'

She moved in on him slowly, her hips swaying and her eyes seductive, Draco jumped away, falling off his bed and then she pounced and was upon him, Icy cold fingers snapped his head to the side so hard that he felt every bone in his spin crick. He struggled as he felt cruel fangs sink into his neck, but the instant they were there the instant they were gone, she pulled back grimacing and spitting out red, glaring at him and hissing like a cat, she swung out his window and by the time Draco had run over to scan the ground she was gone.

'Oh fuck…' he murmured, bringing a hand up to rub across his neck, the two small puncture wounds closed up beneath his finger tips, on of the perks of Veela blood. Was that what had saved his life, could Monica not take his strange blood?

Draco felt drunk as he tried to stand up, and fell back down to the earth with a crash. But he needed to get up.

He needed to go and find Snape, and tell him what happened.

dun,

dun

duuuuun!

what do you think? bit too random? it will all make sence... EVENTUALLY!


	7. a small detour

hello my little reading pals.

first of all, 17 people have put this on an alert, I thank you very much, and Im glad you like it, but more than half of you havnt said hi to me! if you dont like reviewing thats cool, but be like emerald Raven and tell me about your burning dinner, reviews are good, they make me all fuzzy, so drop me a review, even if its just "Hi!"

anyway!

**Jen Red Robe:** Yes, ok but confusing is my middle name... wait, no its ribina, but if I could pick a middle name it would be. FanFic hatesme, and wont let me have deviders.

**Peaceful Angel: **yeah it will get better, just not for a while...

**Emerald Raven:** here is some more "great work" I dont like this chapter actually, but, hey, let me know!

**CDW:** here is some more, very glad you dont hate me!

**Ashes of Stars:** heh, i do spell check, but it obviously must miss some things, im dyslexic so I cant really tell... sorry. As for Harry and Draco being kept apart, im a firm believer that there is too much past between them just to fall in love.

**mis-HD:** the next chapter Harry gets a fleeting image of what he feels for Draco. as for him being in the back ground, there are 6 HP books out that are ALL about him, so Im doing more on Draco... cause I like him more. Harry will be in it more soon though, promise!

**Crowley Black:** My daddy is from Newcastle, maybe thats where its from? cheers for the review anyhoo, this chapters rather Dramatic too...

**Disturbed Litte Orchid:** here is more now. I love you!

**Black Majik:** you are insane, and small. that is all.

PoIsOnEd LeTtErS

Chapter 7

The world spun as he staggered down the hazy corridor, gripping to the clammy cold walls as he went, the rough stone floor scratching at his bare feet, he needed to find his professor, the way he was reacting to the bite wasn't natural for him, he felt sleepy, so sleepy…

"For the love of Lord Voldemort…"

His breathing was shallow, his eyesight weakened, and as he tumbled through one of the corridor's many portraits, somewhere in his darkened mind it clicked, this was the Slytherin common room, he didn't however, realize the danger he was in, all he could think about was the new password.

'_For the love of Lord Voldemort? They really are going down hill with out me…'_

In fact, he didn't even notice the group, huddled in a shadowy corner of the room, stand up and start slinking towards him, Draco first noticed them when Anderson, and it _had _to be Anderson, let out a low, hollow laugh.

"Well, well well, look what we have here, boys? What a pleasant surprise Draco, glad you could join us, in fact, we were just talking about you, weren't we lads?"

There were murmurs of agreement in the mob behind him, and Draco started to feel nervous.

"Look, can this wait? Please? I'm not in the mood…"

"Oh but hunny, we are…"

Severus Snape could not believe the incompetent, idle boned, good for nothing attitude of his pupils, if there _was_ a more inept bunch of children on this earth he shuddered to think about it.

Really, you would think that one of them; one miserable, insignificant, slither of a student would give a damn about Potions wouldn't you? You would actually think that SOMEONE, SOMEWHERE would require a good grade to get the job they desired, and if the amount of students who wished to be aurors had anything to go about it then…

Snape looked up from the piece of yellowed parchment, something was up… something didn't feel right at all, there was evil in the castle...

Snape was up in a flash; the first thing his mind jumped to was _'the vampires!' _jumping up to his feet he marched over to his wardrobe for his dressing gown, and then, as quickly as the feeling had appeared, it left…

Severus sat down on his bed with a bump, he could have sworn…

Never mind.

Draco sighed, and perched on the arm of one of the leather chairs, sure, he couldn't see his hand in front of his face (well, he could, it was just that there was five of them) wasn't going to make him panicky before these losers.

"Look, guys, what is your problem with me? All I did was start dressing myself, we all have to learn sometime."

Anderson put his hands on his hips, in what he must of thought was a macho kind of way to intimidate him, well, it did a little, but only because it made Anderson look like his mother. "Shut up you little punk, you betrayed our lord and master, you betrayed he who must not be named."

Draco let out a little snort of laughter that only seemed to infuriate the boy more so.

"Your lord and Master? Who you're still too afraid of to speak his name? Its Voldemort, VOL-DE-MORT."

Anderson's nostrils flared and his eyes gleamed "You have no right to speak his name!"

"I have no right? NO ONE EVER DOES!" Draco lost his temper here; he'd wanted to put them straight over a couple of things all year. "All you're doing is turning into the next generation of lapdogs to lick up the vomit he spews up to you all every day about 'RULING THE WORLD THIS, KILLING THE MUDBLOODS THAT,' its utterly _boring!_ No wonder I backed out while I still had a chance!"

"Are you asking for a hiding?"

The sheer stupidity of this question made Draco stop, and then, before he could help it he'd started to giggle, and then it was a fully blown out laugh.

"Ooooooh yes, Roy, I am simply screaming out for a good hiding, am I not? Please, oh please will you beat me to a pulp!"

Anderson looked confused for a moment as if trying to work out whether or not Draco was serious, then, sluggishly making up his mind, his fist went back and…

But then, shouldn't he go and check it out anyway? It had been strong, that… feeling, and if it had been the Vampires, wouldn't they have headed straight for Draco? Maybe the feeling had went because they had taken the boy out of the castle?

Oh please God no.

Grabbing the door handle he pulled the old oak door open and marched down the corridor to Draco's room, practically screaming the password to the young Georgian witch that guarded it. She tutted and fluttered her fan before opening, and yes the window was open!

No one was in the room; turning back to the portrait he asked the girl, "Do you know where Master Malfoy is, Constanze?"

She giggled and hid herself behind her fan.

"Miss, now is not the time for your games."

Pouting, Constanze crossed her arms over her chest, making the tight corset strain even more so over her breasts. "That's right, no one wants to play any more now do they? Just because I'm a silly painting on a wall!"

"Constanze!" Severus did not have the time to listen to the girl, one of his students, his God Son, could be in lots of trouble.

"Alright alright, you boring, old man! He's out, he went off like he was under the influence of…" she lowered her voice, "certain narcotics, I think that girl gave him them…"

"What girl? What girl, madam! Please!"

"The one who came through that window, startled me a bit, terrible clothes, all ripped to shreds like she'd been living in them for years!"

Ok, so maybe he shouldn't have laughed quite so much at them… or been so cheeky, but he was certainly paying the price of it now.

Draco had not known how much blood a nose could possess; it was quite interesting actually, and as one of Andersons lackeys kicked him in the side of his chest, a tiny flicker occurred in the back of his mind.

_This isn't so bad…_you know, he'd always watched movies where the lead would get beaten, and you'd think, now look how strong and brave he is, taking it like a man, to be truthful, there was just a point where you switched off and there was no sharp pains anymore, it was all just mediocre.

Anderson stood towering above him as his lackeys did his dirty work, pretending to smile sadly, he shook his head.

'This is for your own good Malfoy!'

'Oh really? I feel so much better knowing that you're breaking my face in a good way. It's a good bruise' Draco hissed back between his teeth as someone hit him in the gut.

'Stop making it worse for yourself.' Anderson snapped, verging on anger.

'HOW can I POSSIBLY make it worse?' Draco screamed back, swinging a punch at one of the Slytherin males, trying desperately to get to Anderson, pulling at the back of the boy's knees he brought him down.

'Malfoy, why can't you just leave it in stead of making such a big deal!'

The two boys were literally scrawling around on the ground, throwing punches and thrashing out at each other, Draco managed to split the older boys lip, and grinned as the blood splashed down onto his face, Anderson had managed some how to get on top of the pale boy and had his hands on either knee. The chanting of 'fight! Fight! Fight!' sizzled out as the two boys panted glaring at each other, Anderson smiled and separated Draco's legs a little more, 'well,' he smirked, 'isn't this friendly?'

'Fuck you.' Draco whispered angrily, not having enough breath to shout.

'Is that an invitation? You know, you're quite pretty when you get mad.'

Draco's eyes widened for a moment, what had he got himself into?

Snape stormed in to the Slytherin common rooms and took one look at the scene ahead of him, before marching over and parting the group, there was Draco in the middle, looking up at Anderson with such hate in his eyes Severus had never seen before, Anderson holding his legs, glaring straight back at him. He didn't like what their position suggested, not at all.

"What is going on here?"

'Nothing sir, just keeping the rebels at bay, sir.' Anderson smiled, not once taking his eyes from Draco's.

Severus tried to keep his voice as icy as possible as he replied "While the Dark Lord would no doubt appreciate your loyalty, he would not however appreciate losing his followers to the Ministry dogs so they can divulge information that could quite possibly be harmful to his cause. Ten points from Slytherin for your lack of tact. Mister Malfoy you will wait for me in my office."

Snape waited for the boy to be released before marching out of the room, his black robes billowing from out behind him.

Once down the corridor Draco laughed quietly, "thanks… for the whole, helping me thing…"

"Anytime. What where you doing there anyway?" Severus turned to look him in the eye.

Draco shook his head; "I was looking for you, just to let you know that the castle has possibly the worst security system in the world, and you might want to sort that out, seeing as golden boy lives here and all…"

"Why… what happened?" Snape asked, narrowing his eyes slightly, he watched as Draco scratched the back of his neck, a thing he only did when nervous.

"Em, one of my… nocturnal friends from the forest came to see me this evening…"

"Really? Well, are you all right? Were you bitten?"

"Yes she bit me, but that wasn't the strange part, I'm used to vampire bites, it's just…" Draco's voice faded away as he started to think about it.

"Yes?"

"She… she spat out my blood, like it was bitter or something, and after she'd gone I got all giddy, my head started to spin…"

"That doesn't explain what you were doing in the Slytherin Common room Draco."

"I know, and I don't know why I was in there either, I just seemed to stumble in. It was lucky you came when you did though Sir."

"I'll say, what was Anderson playing at, hmm Draco?"

Draco's eyes glazed over slightly, and he tilted his face away from Snape's gaze. He knew exactly what Anderson had wanted, he'd felt it, he'd seen cold passion in the boys blue eyes, so, it had started already then, this 'gift' that would drive humanity crazy just to be with him, it was hitting him harder than it had his father, because Draco had one of those faces that was beyond gender and just simply beautiful in its sorrow, tears he could cry over this, but he was just going to have to get used to it, he thought he had until his sixteenth birthday at least, but it seemed fate had other plans.

Snape sighed, and opened the door to his office, beckoning Draco inside.

Once they we're seated, Snape looked at Draco inquisitively.

"My time is running out, isn't it?" the boy said quietly, looking at his pale hands resting on leather clad legs.

"I think so yes, no one will hurt you Draco, because if they did, it would be the last thing they do, I promise you that.

Draco's steel eyes looked up through a fringe of white; outlined in kohl they looked dangerous and fragile at the same time, lashes like a frame to eyes that reflected only indifference, when the soul inside was hurting so much.

"I don't see how you can help me, no one can…"

Silence froze the room for minutes, a silence as dangerous as drugs lacing a wine glass.

"So" Draco dared to say, the noise sounding harsh to both their ears, nevertheless Draco carried on, "what do you think it is that made the Vampire reject my blood?"

"There could be a number of reasons for it, the first being, have you taken any medicine, drugs, in the last twenty four hours?"

"Not that I know of no…"

"Well, another is that maybe she, like many Vampires, dose not have the strength to drink from the innocent."

"How am I-"

"Draco, to put it bluntly, have you had sex?"

"…No."

"Have you murdered anyone?"

_Isabella_… "No."

"Well then, your classified as an innocent."

"Well that sucks, I was hoping I was slightly more rebellious than a dead fly, but it seems I was mistaken."

"Hmm, well, by human standards I would say you were that, Draco, you're not exactly THE good little boy are you?" Snape tutted as Draco smirked slightly, " the third reason, and most likely of them all actually, is that she couldn't handle drinking a very complicated cocktail of human, vamperic, and veela blood."

"In other words?"

"Your flavour is not her desired cup of tea."

Draco blinked slowly "thanks for that."

"You're welcome."

"I should probably head back to my room, or find David and Ginny to apologise to… I was a bit mean to them…"

"Okay… Draco, you ever want to talk, you know where my office is."

"Yes sir."

"Good boy, oh, tomorrow, if you could meet me back here, you can be taken to meet your father."

"Yes sir."

Finding Ginny was easier said than done, the little red head was no where to be found, he could, he suppose, wonder around the school aimlessly until dawn…

He hated fighting with his friends; to be honest they were the only ones he got, so why did he keep pushing them away?

He supposed it was because he wasn't used to it, the only one he had ever opened up to before was his Ada, and sometimes Snape, but kids his own age was different. It was like they were judging you with everything you said, he didn't suppose they meant it but teenagers…

They were always judging.

Maybe he could try brag his way into the Gryffindor common room, he would be lynched but hey… it's all good.

Draco started to climb the stairs to the Gryffindor tower, the amount of times he'd walked Ginny 'home' he knew it off by heart… that's what they could do tomorrow, have a sleepy over at his place… that is if they were still talking to him.

_Come on Draco, now that's just self pity_, he snapped at himself, and walked off into the night.

Soooo. Not a lot happened in this chapter. But its now done, so you must praise me (ha!) next chapter is _bound _to be more interesting, I promise. I got quite poetical in the middle I feel.

Draco: poetic? Is that what they call it now?

E: quiet you, you sex beast you!

D: smirk well there's no denying it…

E: so yes! Please review if you deem me worth it! And I will love you for a century and a bit…

Please?

Love peace and sour skittles

Elendor

Xxx


	8. Vanilla

**hey all! hope you enjoy this chapter, that i wrote under the influence of a lot of wine. Its got a little light comedy aspect cause I thought i was being a little depressing, plus, the next chapter will be draco meeting his dad so thats not likely to be a barrel of laughs is it?**

**Emerald raven: **thats one long assed review you gave me, lol. I dont advise trying to make faces at Draco, he might try and hex you... heres another chapter, enjoy!

**slushie blue:** lol, thanks for your review, heres another chapter!

**Peaceful Angel:** then listen to music with no words! thanks for your review, hope you like this chapter.

**Al-Behd-Rikku:** little star is in the middle of being re written, just cause i was 13 when i was writing that and I think its a bit sucky, good plot, just not well written. thanks for reviewing I hope you continue to like this fic, ill update you about little star soon!

**CDW: **Lol, sev is cool in this, yeah! Sev ismy best mates fave character in the books so he is especialy cool for her. here is some more, please enjoy.

**Eliora:** yes, sour skittles indeed rock, and anderson sucks. enjoy the chapter

**Crowley Black:** very cliche indeed but still good to hear, thanks for reviewing!

**Black Majik:** Sometimes I truly worry about you, but then i remember you are from Walker Drive, so you are bound to me a little mad. love you xxx

**Isa:** this is what happens next, I hope you like!

**Jen-Red-Robe:** indeed this is the first chapter you havnt read yet! I hope you like it xxx

**And to everyone else, I hope you enjoy the chapter, even if you dont review **

**Poisoned letters 8**

_Vanilla._

Draco had been standing outside the Gryffindor house for just over half an hour before he spotted one of the in mates.

"Hey, hey you, girlie!"

The girl turned to look at him, one foot into the painting, "who me?"

"Yes you, could you let Ginny Weasly know that the Duck man is here to see her and that he is very sorry and would like to cleanse her soul's weary feet."

"Erm, ok…"

The Girl, called Emily Tranwit, ran into the common room and up the stairs to the fifth year girl's dormitory, barely able to catch her breath she knocked timidly on the strong wooden door.

"Yes?"

Emily entered to find only Ginny herself in the room. "Em, excuse me, But Draco Malfoys down stairs, he wants to see you so he can wash your feet…and something about ducks…or something like that"

"Right, thank you."

Ginny got up and swung her dressing gown onto her shoulders and made for the stairs.

Draco was counting backwards from 100 to calm his nerves when Ginny showed at the door. "What is it? Some wee first year says you've come to wash my feet."

"What?" Draco frowned "No Iv come to cleanse your soul… If you'll let me that is."

"Draco stop talking in riddles, why are you here?"

"To ask if you'll be friends again? I'm sorry I'm such an arse sometimes Gin-gin, I'm just a moody cow…"

Ginny folded her arms, and raised her eyebrows at him "there was no need in how you spoke to me and David earlier."

" I know and I m sorry…"

"But then, there was no need in the way I spoke to you, I'm sorry Draco, I never meant to sound so insensitive, its just, I have no way to know how you feel just now.

"There's not many who can, but one of the boys in this house does. Can I come in, Ginny, I want to apologise to Pott… Harry."

Ginny noticed the difficulty Draco had with calling him Harry, and gave him a look, before standing aside to give him room to enter.

As Draco strode confidently into the room, three first years that were yet to go to bed let out a shrill shriek and ran up the stairs. Ron Hermione and Harry all turned towards where the first years had sent fevered looks of fear.

"What the…bloody hell?" said Ron, standing up suddenly and knocking a disgruntled Hermione off of him.

"Ginny, control your gimp." Draco said, sounding bored; at Ron's deepening angry look he added, "chill out bitch, I'm not here to see you."

"Ginny doesn't want to speak to you." Ron spat, she told us how you spoke to her earlier, and if you think-"

"Oh shut up, she does want to speak to me, piss face, because unlike you, I can string two sentences together, and don't talk out of my ass 24/7"

"Your just lucky my sister likes you, or I swear I would-"

"What? Cry?" Draco Smirked, "or would you just tell your Daddy?"

"At least I have a 'Daddy' to tell, you insufferable rat faced prick, and I think-"

Hermione suddenly kicked him, "shut up Ron, no one cares what you think."

Ron was about to have a go at her too, when he saw she wasn't looking at him, but Malfoy. Turning back to look at Draco he saw the boys eyes had gone blank, and the smirk that was usually plastered on his face had melted away.

"Jesus…. I'm sorry, that was… That was really harsh…are you ok?"

"Oh yes, I'm fanbloodytastic." Draco snapped, turning his face away from the group on the sofa, Ginny gave Ron a look that could kill a giant. Ron suddenly felt very, very ashamed of himself.

"I'm really sorry, what can I do to take it back?"

"Hit yourself. Hard. In the face."

"What?"

"Do it, hit yourself in the face" Draco was grinning now, but the smile wasn't reaching his eyes. It seemed to put Ron at ease however, and the boy sat back down on the sofa with a bump.

"Actually, I came to apologise to Po..Harry. You know, for smacking you earlier. Bit out of line, sorry and all that. Shouldn't have taken it out on you…" Draco was obsessively pulling strings out of his jumper, and looking anywhere but at Harry. Damn it was hard to apologise; especially to Harry, it wasn't natural.

Harry shrugged, "you had a kind of reason… even if it wasn't all my fault… and you cut my face."

"Did I? How?" Draco gave him a puzzled look.

"Well, we're not sure, but I _do_ have the Malfoy family crest imprinted in my face."

"Ah, I see." Draco grinned sheepishly, "It could have been worse, it could have been, say, a butterfly."

"Do you actually own a butterfly ring?"

"I could do."

"Well", Hermione cleared her throat, "come and sit down then. Tea?"

"Uum, no. Vodka?" Draco said hopefully. Ginny gave him a stern look.

"No Draco, no more Vodka, bad."

Draco let his head hang down. "Aww… firewhisky?"

"NO DRACO!"

"A drop of sherry, perhaps?"

"**DRACO!"**

"Its not my fault I'm a raging alcoholic!" Draco said, pouting, and throwing himself down next to Harry, he tried to whisper very quietly that he would like rum in his tea, but Ginny caught him.

"I heard that! Listen, Me and David are bloody sick of having to put you to bed EVERY night, do you know how long it takes to unlace those BLOODY boots of yours? DO YOU?"

"GIN, THEY HAVE ZIPPERS!" Draco paused, "do you have any gin?"

Ginny shook her head, "I give up, fine, drink yourself into an early grave but-"

"Thank you." Said Draco, lifting up one trouser leg and detaching a flask from a strap around his leg. The group gave him a look, "oh I'm sorry, would you like some?"

Ron narrowed his eyes, "What is it?"

"Pinacolada."

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"IF YOU LIKE PINACOLADAS! AND GETTING CAUGHT IN THE-"

"Shut up shut up SHUT UP!"

Hermione couldn't take any more singing, it had been two hours since Draco had poured Ron a drink, and he hadn't stopped pouring since.

"Why? Why hasn't that flask emptied?" she cried desperately

"Is a bottomless fask, It'll NEVER EMPTY!" Draco shouted with a drunken slur, falling over, even though he was already sitting on the floor. "I shoe go to bed, is very late, an Weasly… I mean RONALD'S hair, is binding me."

Draco attempted to stand up, and fell straight back down again. "How did I get dow here?" he asked, more to himself than any one else.

"Jush push me ow the fat woooooman… and I'll get to bed… 'Ventually.

"Oh come on Draco, its far too late for you to go through the corridors now, if Flitch catches you your dead" Ginny said, frowning and biting at her lower lip, a look that usually got her anything she wanted. Draco raised an eyebrow at her, telling her that the look wasn't going to work this time.

"Yeah I know tha, but Im not seeping on sofa, can you imagine for **ONE** minute the chaos in the mornin' when **500** Gryffindorks find the so called "prince of Slytherin" gettin' some booty seep on their seating area? I'd be killed...KILLED" He spun around to emphasise his murder, and fell back down, "Hello again carpet!"

"He's got a fair point you know" Ron said, kicking his feet up onto the table between the two couches and missing "If I came down stairs and found a sleeping Slytherin, I'd kill them."

"I'd like to see you try." Mumbled Draco into the carpet.

"Well then he'll have to sleep in your dormitory then wont he?" Hermione said, the glint in her eye showing that she already sensed her boyfriends reaction.

"WHAT? NO WAY" Ron and Draco shouted at the same time, before giving each other a look that could kill a dragon, Draco turned to Hermione and said scathingly "an I suppose we shall jus' snuggle up together and swap stories about boys and share teddy bears and all will be fine and dandy, yes?"

"Well your not snuggling up to me that's for sure"

"Aw Weasle-ee I is disappointed, I thought we were getting sooooo close... was going to ask you to be my date for the ball and everything." Draco said his voice dripping with very drunken sarcasm.

"Shut up, _ferret_ boy." snapped Ron, throwing one of the plumped up pillows at him.

"Oh no, not an insult that's almost two years old! Please, stop it Weasly, you're hurting my feelings!"

"Barbie doll"

"Ginger face"

"Nancy boy"

"Closet gay"

Harry caught the pillow that had been going back and forth like a tennis ball "Enough! Enough already, he can share with me; just stop with the half assed insults! Im tired and I want to **SLEEP"**

Draco pouted under his extremely tousled hair "but he called me a barb-"

"Enough! You two are not allowed to talk to each other for the rest of the night

"Oh the pain"

"The torture."

"Right come on, Ron get up, Draco… wait a minute, stay there" Harry said, helping Ron up onto his feet.

"no problem." Said Draco, lying back down.

"Now Ron, go upstairs _quietly_, then wake up the guys and tell them Malfoy's staying, or they'll freak in the morning."

"Right you are, captain!" Ron saluted him before stumbling over to the stair well and running up it, making more noise than a wild rhinoceros.

"Right, ok, Draco?" Harry kneeled down beside him, Draco grinned and prodded Harry's nose

"BEEP"

"Yes, quite, now Draco listen, I'm going to lift you up, ok? And carry you up the stairs, cause I don't think you can walk-"

"No, **YOU** can't walk"

"-So you've got to help me a bit, ok?"

"Ok, but your not allowed to drop me, even if it would be funny"

"Ok, I promise not to drop you." Harry grabbed Draco around his waist and painstakingly slowly managed to get Draco up in a fireman's lift, "you ok Draco?"

"The only thing I can see is your ARSE!"

"Im going to take that as a yes, right, night night Ginny, Hermione."

"Take care of Ron and Draco, ok?" asked Ginny, she looked miserable, and had in fact, looked miserable since Draco had brought up drink.

"Is he always like this then?" asked Hermione, watching as Draco tried to pull Harry's belt off.

"No… well yes, increasingly it's the only way he can get any sleep, you see, he has these…"

"Nightmares?"

Ginny frowned, "yeah. How do you know that?"

"Doesn't matter, come on, time for bed, Its almost two in the morning."

Harry made for the stairs, Draco started counting every stair they climbed, and then started laughing.

"What?"

"If a year ago, or even six months ago, someone said that you would be carrying Draco Malfoy up to your dorm room to throw him down on your bed, what would you have said?"

Harry gave a small smile, "I wouldn't have said anything. I would have hit them."

Malfoy laughed, no, giggled, and Harry felt his heart skip a beat, then shook that wicked thought out of his head, the thought that told him that he could make Draco make that noise again tonight.

Where the hell had that come from?

When Harry and Draco entered they found all of the boys up, in dressing gowns, and ready to attack.

"We thought maybe Ron was having a laugh, but obviously we were wrong," Dean said, narrowing his eyes, "why under God is he here?"

"Because Ron and Draco decided they could out-drink each other, and they did, but then they kept drinking, so now we have to look after this", He slapped Draco's thigh, "and that." He pointed to Ron."

"Oh for Gods sake." Dean threw his arms up and stormed back to bed.

"Um, is he ok?" asked Neville timidly.

"Neville, my friend, I have never been better" Said an upside down Draco. Harry had forgotten for a minute he was there, Draco may even have been lighter than his school bag…

"Alright Draco, I'm going to put you down now ok? Don't fall"

"Don't you tell me what to do!"

Once Draco was finally the right way round the other boy's could see what kind of a state he was in, he smiled sheepishly and gave them a little wave. "Harry, where's the bathroom? I shoe go throw up"

Harry pointed to the door of the bathroom and Draco stumbled off, as the door closed behind him, Seamus widened his eyes "well, would you look at the state of that?"

"Hey" Harry whisperd, "leave him, he's had a shit day."

"And so turning to alcoholism is of course, the best option."

"You should understand, Seamus, you're Irish."

"HEY!"

A few minutes later Draco emerged from the bathroom, looking a little better, "I used the green tooth brush, I washed it and stuff, just thought I ought to tell you."

"That's my one," said Neville quietly.

"Oh, ok, sorry. Nice colour choice though. Well Harry, I'm in drastic need of some pj's… and a obliviate charm…"

"Why?" asked Seamus.

"So I don't remember what an arse I made of myself tonight." Draco grinned, "Do you think I can just say I was under the imperio curse…."

"We won't tell if you don't." laughed Harry, "ummm, I think the only other pyjamas iv got are like, twenty times to short for me, so they wont fit you."

Draco smiled, "let me show you something" Draco sat down on one of the beds, and started to unzip his boots, kicking them off he stood up and to Harrys surprise, barely came up to the boys chin, "hello up there" grinned Draco

"Damn you're short."

"Why thank you, now, pj's?"

Harry dived into his trunk to look for them, and brought out a pair of blue and white striped pyjamas.

"Nice, " said Draco, taking them into the bathroom, "and not cliché at all."

Harry had just got ready for bed when Draco came out; the pyjamas were even a little long for him.

"Which side of the bed is yours?"

"What?"

"What side do you sleep on?"

Harry had a think, "I don't know, I just spread out… just get in the bed."

"Ooh, forceful," Draco fluttered heavily made up lashes, "I like it."

"Shut up, drunkard."

In bed, Harry couldn't help to think how weird this all was, this morning he had seen Draco in tears, then in the afternoon he'd been bitch slapped by him, this evening he had sat and watched him get steaming drunk, and now he was in bed with the boy.

"This is weird," voiced Draco, "well, night night Harry, sweet dreams, if you try anything I warn you I know Tai Chi.

"Do you even know what Tai Chi is?"

"I know that I'm deadly at it."

Harry grinned into his pillow, "Ok, Ill try keep my wandering hands off you then." He lowered his voice" god forbid you should breath me to death"

"What?"

"Nighty night Draco."

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Its was five am and everyone in the castle was asleep, in a tower in the west of the castle, two boys lay sleeping, having identical dreams, stirring in his sleep, the blond boy moved in closer to the raven haired on, his face turned upwards, the dark haired boy smiled, lent down and kissed him softly on the lips. In the morning, this dream would not be remembered.

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"WAKE UP! WAKE UP! FOR THE LAST TIME WILL YOU PLEASE, _PLEASE_ WAKE UP!"

The whole of Gryffindor sixth year were unsuccessfully trying to wake up Draco Malfoy, they had been trying for the last half hour, Neville had been kicked in the stomach, and Dean had just missed what would have been a very nasty upper cut, just then, Ginny entered the room, looking a little flustered, "I'm SO sorry! I forgot to tell you how to get him up!"

"GINNY! We have been trying to shift him for half an hour!" Ron shouted at his little sister, then held onto his head and groaned, "please just get him to wake up, ok?"

Ginny leaned over Draco, "this is what me and David learned after staying over with him a couple of times, this is what Draco's alarm sounds like" she brought her want up to her throat, muttered a spell that Harry recognised as a voice changing charm he learnt in fourth year and shouted in Draco's ear.

"DRACO MARVELO RUPERT XAVIER LUCIFER MALFOY, GET UP OUT OF YOUR PIT NOW OR SO HELP ME I WILL BEAT YOU WITHIN AN INCH OF YOUR LIFE!"

It was Draco's Mother's voice, and Draco was up in a flash.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm up I swear- "He opened his eyes and saw Ginny, "you utter bitch! I almost died of a heart attack!"

"Yes well, you've got to get up, class is in an hour."

"Oh right. Thanks." Draco shook his head as if to clear away the sleep, and got up, "Ill go shower then…"

He walked through into the bathroom and all five boys turned to Ginny.

"What? I would get up too if it was that woman telling me to."

The boys shrugged and Ginny stood back up.

"Ginny… why is Draco so frightened of his mother?" Asked Harry frowning.

Ginny paused, looked as if she was going to say something, then stopped, as she walked towards the door, she turned and said "have you ever noticed that Draco always smells of vanilla?" then she left.

"Now what kind of freaky assed comment is that to make?" said Dean as he checked his hair one last time in the mirror, "I'm going to breakfast, see you cats there."

"Wait a minute, I'll come to, need to find my cloak" once he had found it, Seamus and Dean left to go to breakfast. Neville shifted uncomfortably.

"I know what she meant." He said, "But I don't think I should tell you, it's not fair." With that, Neville turned to go.

Ron looked at his retreating back with a puzzled look, "well I'm ready, want to go to breakfast?"

"Naw, I think we should wait for Draco, in case some fellow housemates try to jump him in the common room."

"Aw, but I'm hungry! Oh all right, but if we miss breakfast I'm going to continually prod you throughout first period."

The boys waited for almost another half hour for Draco to come out of the shower before Ron lost his temper, "I'm going in there to tell him to HURRY THE FUCK UP!"

Ron slammed the bathroom door open and went to storm in when he stopped, frozen on the spot, Draco's head snapped up and a look of panic rushed into his face. They stood, looking at each other, for what seemed like the longest five seconds of their lives, before Harry came in to see what was wrong.

With a towel wrapped around his too skinny waist, Draco was applying liberal amounts of some sort of lotion to his arms, chest, legs and was attempting to get it on his back; the whole room stank of vanilla. But it wasn't this that had stopped Ron, or had forced Harry to turn away violently in anger.

It was the cuts. The deep and angry looking red lines that criss-crossed over Draco's body, the bites and the burns and the bruises, and it couldn't have been any clearer who had administrated them, because etched across his back was the one word, 'Betrayer.'

"Please don't look at me like that." Draco broke the silence suddenly, "please, anything but that, Hate me, or laugh at me, or pretend I don't exist, just don't pity me."

He was talking to Ron, who had a look in his eyes Harry had never seen before, because when you had a best friend who got as jealous as Ron did, you hardly ever saw him feeling sorry for anyone but himself.

"Please don't stop hating me, you're the only thing that hasn't changed this year."

Draco's voice was quieter than even a whisper, and Harry couldn't stand it, he almost whished Draco had just become a death eater, he wished he could hate him, but seeing the wreck of a boy in front of him, he couldn't find the strength.

Without saying a word, Ron stepped over, and taking a handful of the vanilla smelling lotion out of the small tub beside Draco, began to smooth it all over Draco's back, the smaller boy shivered, and Harry watched the Goosebumps appear then fade away as he got used to the cold feeling.

_He always smells of vanilla_.

So that's what that sweet smell had been last night, hidden under the harsh aroma of cigarettes and alcohol, Harry had lain awake, staring at Draco, wondering what it was in the boys features to have made him so truly fascinating, now he knew, it was that undeniable sadness that was reflected in every curve, every contour, every smile and every strand of silvery hair.

Harry turned around, walked out of the room, and went down to breakfast.

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As Harry sat down to breakfast, his head swarmed with images, Draco sneering at him the year before, Draco the bully, Draco the outcast, Draco laughing and joking with David and Ginny, Draco angry and screaming on top of him, hating him, Draco the scared little boy, Draco drunk and helpless lying on the floor, Draco begging, Draco crying…

Then last night, in a strange dream where he hadn't been happy, or sad, but contented, and lying on greener than green grass, his hair like sun light spilling on to it, he could remember nothing else from the dream but that image, the first time he'd ever seen Draco looking… peaceful.

Ron and Draco were in the great hall 15 minutes later, Draco went over to see David, and Ron plonked himself down between Harry and Hermione.

"What happened after I left, what did you talk about?" Harry whispered, so Hermione wouldn't over hear.

"We didn't. We didn't talk." Ron replied blankly

That was all Ron would say about the incident. The only trace that it had ever taken place was a faint smell of vanilla.

**ok, so it wasnt all cheer, but i hope you liked, also, skarla has put up PoIsOnEd LeTtErS on her site and has very kindly said i can put up some art work of poison there, which i will do once my scanner gets fixed, my point is, if any of you like to draw, I would love it if you felt like doing a drawing to go with my fic, and ill put it up on skarlas site.**

**cheers!**

**El**

**xxx**


	9. Goodbye

A/N very quick hello, I would thank you all individually like usual, but BM is sitting next to me and I think she might kill me if I don't hurry up, so here is chapter 9, sorry it took so long!

* * *

PoIsOnEd LeTtErS

**Chapter 9**

_Goodbye_

Draco waited nervously outside Professor Snapes door; He was twisting his fringe through his fingers, pleating it, then unpleating it again. Snape was taking forever to open the door, Should he knock?

Just as he summoned up the courage to, the door opened and Snape was standing like an over grown bat in the doorway.

"Are you ready Mr Malfoy?" He asked shortly

"Yes sir."

"Good, Hand over your wand, you are not permitted to take it in to your meeting." He said without meeting Draco's eyes.

"Oh… Ok." Draco stuck his hand in his pocket and brought out his wand, it was birch, 12 inches, and unicorn hair, just like his fathers. He remembered back 6 years to standing in olivanders with his father, He remembered Lucius' face as he made several blue sparks shoot out of the first want he touched, apparently, Birch wood was a bit of a Malfoy tradition.

Afterwards thy had gone for Ice cream, or rather, His father took him for one, Lucius himself had a black coffee, and spent the time pointing out who Draco was and wasn't to talk to, Draco had listened to every word and comment, he still remembered "Now, that's a Goyle, extremely stupid, but loyal." Or "that it a Bulander, I don't mind them but your mother hates the whole family, so your best not to." And then there was, "That, is a Weasley. Stay away from them, long family grudge."

Everything his father had said that day he took in, he could even remember a dusty little record shop they'd gone into, Lucius had spent two hours pouring over the old vinyl's, that's when Draco had realized that after him, music was probably the most important thing in Lucius' life.

"Draco?" Draco snapped out of his trance, handed over his want,

"Where to now, god-daddy?"

Snape strode out in front of Draco down the corridor, Draco obediently followed him.

"We are going down into Hogsmeade, we are to met your father in the old church, the surrounding area will be filled with aurors, so I suggest any break out plans you had, forget them."

"I didn't have any"

"Good."

The were out on the grounds now, walking in a steady silence towards the village, Draco wished they were talking, but he know he also had nothing to say. Finally they reached the village, It was then Draco noticed that it must have been a Hogsmeade weekend, the place was crawling with students, Draco found some unusual comfort in that he wasn't the only student there, but he wasn't sure why.

"Just a little further, now, Draco, have you ever been to the church?"

Draco shook his head; he had not really had an interest in it before, so he had avoided it, going to the hog's head, or the shrieking shack. Though it had taken him a year to get over the freak snowball attack that had happened there.

It was then he saw it, the little run down church in the middle of a decaying grave yard, the church looked like it was about to fall over, but under the moss and grime you could tell it once stood tall and proud and well kept, a church as old as Hogwarts itself. Draco sighed; he couldn't help but think it was an appropriate reflection on the state of the Malfoy legacy.

Six men in dark robes walked over to the two, Draco recognised some as men and women who had met Harry from the train station last year, one was Nymphadora Tonks, Bella's niece he believed, but cast out of the Black family, Kingsly Shacklebolt, and Alistair Moody.

"Afternoon, Draco is it?" Asked Moody, Draco couldn't help notice all of them were looking at him with quiet dislike, But he didn't care what they thought, what did they know? Would they still look at him that way if he'd been one of Harry's friends? He doubted it, they would probably be fawning over him with worried faces and kind words, but he was a Malfoy, and scum to them. So what? So what if his dad had been a death eater, what right did they have to judge him? He found himself rolling up his sleeves; as if to prove a point, _look, see? Not all of us fall so easily!_

"Yes." He answered, snapping a little more than he had meant to.

"Right then, turn out your pockets."

"Professor Snape has already taken my Wand." He replied, but did so anyway.

"We aren't looking for your wand boy, we are looking for blades." He said gruffly.

"Oh Moody, don't be so cruel" Said Tonks, catching Draco's eye.

Shock filled Draco's face for a second, they thought he would go in there and help his father commit suicide? The woman with the bright pink hair looked sad for a moment, Draco ripped his eyes away from hers.

"Well, I'm not going to wrap the son of a Death eater in cotton wool, am I?"

"Still, he is only a child!"

"No I'm not…" Draco whispered.

"Right, what have we here? One comb, one… "Eye liner" pencil by "Rimmel"…one chocolate frog card with a picture of Merlin on it, one drawing of a clown on fire" Draco Blushed a little, that had been done weeks ago, he had to start empting his pockets, "… one small bottle of Madam Darklings wound heal vanilla blend, One picture of a small cat, white in colour."

That was Draco's kitten, the aptly named Shadow. It had been a kitten for the last two years, and didn't look like it would be growing any time soon.

"And, if I might ask, what is in that flask strapped around your leg?" Draco shivered, he hated when Moody did that… the man might have seen his pants….

"Umm, I think today its Southern Comfort."

"Right, well, that all seems fine. You can go in." Moody said, handing Draco back his pocket contents, "Oh and, Boy?"

"Yes?"

"Try not to be too shocked, your father is greatly changed from when you last saw him."

Draco nodded and shivered; He held his head up high and entered the ruined church.

He walked up between the aisles, to where a lone figure sat on a chair, back to the wall.

"Oh daddy…" Draco whispered, "Oh daddy, what have they done?"

Lucius looked… well, not at all like Lucius. His once glorious hair was matted almost into dread-locks, nowhere near the radiant colour it had been, but like a mucky brown with all the dirt. His face was gaunt, his skin was grey, but most terrifying of all, his eyes were dull.

He looked at Draco like a frightened child would look at a stranger, and it broke Draco's heart. Then realization shone in his father's otherwise dead eyes.

"Draco?" His father croaked.

Draco fell to his knees before the man, "yes father? Its me."

"Its really you? Oh my beautiful boy, my beautiful baby boy!" Lucius came down onto the floor with Draco, and threw his arms around his son.

"Iv missed you, God how Iv missed you, Daddy please don't go away again" Draco said, Sobbing and screaming into his fathers shoulder.

"Shhh, shhh, don't think about that just now, don't speak of it, I'm here now, that's all that matters, Im here now,"

"But-"

"Draco please, please my dear one, don't make this harder than it has to be."

Draco managed to detach himself from his father; he sniffed once, and then smiled. "Well. What ARE we going to do with your hair hmm?"

"Indeed, its filthy is it not? I can only imagine."

Draco, with some sadness, helped his father stand and walk into the main chapel in the church, beside the holy water.

"Draco, that is sacrilege."

"Shut up. Hair before religion, Father."

Very gently Draco pulled his fingers through his fathers hair, remembering how Lucius used to do this to him when he was a child. Lucius' hair tugged, but the man didn't even flinch, Draco caught himself wondering if his father could even feel pain any more.

"Don't you have a brush or something?" Lucius hissed, Draco shook is head,

"It's too tuggy for that, I would end up ripping your hair out, give me a minute."

Draco remembered being six years old, His mother ripping through his hair with a hard bristle brush, his sobbing and his father shouting, that was the first time he had seen his mother attack his father, screaming like a banshee and scratching at his face, his Father just standing there letting it happen, like he always did.

He would only ever raise his voice to Narcissa if Draco was involved, like the time he had caught her trying to give him poison, or that time she had hit Draco so hard he was knocked out at 7 years old.

Painstakingly slowly he combed out the worst of the knots with his fingers, trying not to notice the dirt gathering under his nails, his poor, poor daddy, then, when the worst was over, he brought out his comb and got the last out. Gently he made his father tip his head back into the water, and lovingly he washed it clean, like his father used to do to him.

"Thank you. You should have never have had to do that though."

"The least I could do, Father."

Lucius rang his hair out then sat back down on one of the pews.

"Come and tell me what you've been up to."

"Not much, Mum beat the crap out of me for like, forever, my entire house hates me, I failed Divination, but that was expected, I made some friends you'll hit me for, I busted Harry Potter's face then slept in his bed, so yeah, quiet year."

"I don't think I want to know… Why does your house hate you?"

"I… I didn't join the Death Eaters." Draco looked away from his father, he knew his dad had only joined because of Narcissa, but he didn't know his father would react to that, it had, after all, been expected of him.

Lucius spent a good minute staring at his son, with mixed emotion, eventually he said "Good." He sighed, "I suppose that's why Narcissa was so angry?"

"Yes, Mother didn't take it very well." The two blondes shared a quick grin before looking away. "I found my cousin, by the way, you know, of mums sister."

"Ah yes, Laqueta, Married into the Lorry's didn't she?"

"Yes. He's called David. He's my best friend."

"Your Mother won't like that."

"My mother doesn't like anything." Again, they smiled and looked quickly away, as if she could hear them. "Also, and look, Daddy, I know your not going to be happy but, David's Girlfriend, and… and one of the greatest friends I have, she's…"

"Don't tell me, Muggle?" Lucius smiled slightly.

"Um no, pure blood, but… She's, She's Ginny Weasley."

" Oh Draco, you're breaking my heart." He sighed, "Well, at least I wont have to see it, I suppose someone has to break this on going cycle of hatred."

"Oh no, its only Ginny I talk to, don't worry, Ronald Weasley still gets the odd glare. Only I got him drunk last night. On pinacolada, you would have enjoyed it."

"I bet I would. Is that how you ended up in Potter's bed?" Lucius smirked.

"No! Well yes, but not in that way, God, Dad!" Draco furiously blushed, Lucius laughed.

"I know Draco, I know. But on a serious note." He said, becoming suddenly stern, " Your Veela powers are going to waken up inside you soon, and things for you unfortunately, are going to be a lot more complicated than you think. "He sighed, ran a hand through his steadily drying hair, "You aren't just going to start attracting people to you like nifflers to gold, you know, you're going to start noticing people as well, that girl you've sat beside for five years is suddenly going to have amazing hair, that boy you've been on the team with for ages suddenly has perfect eyes, you'll want each and every one of them."

"Really? Even first years?" Draco tried to joke; he wasn't very comfortable discussing his lust with his father.

"Within reason then, Draco, listen to me, this is important. You can't sleep with them, ok? You cant."

"Well I wasn't planning to, Father."

"No, you're not planning to, but you will want to, you are a good part Veela Draco, do you know why Veela were breed? For sex. They crossed a sex demon and an Angel and that's why Veela are so beautiful.

"Sex demons aren't beautiful dad, they look like a cross between a crow and a dragon on a bad day."

"Yes I know, but they have a aura of lust that hangs around them, it was transferred to the angel, as was the beasts wicked thoughts, that's why Veela turn so ugly when they are angry. Yet because it was crossed with an angel the creature had an undesirable attribute. It could love."

"So… that's why I cant…?"

"No, I'm just explaining to you that even with the best intention, you will still be an outrageous flirt until you are in love."

"So why cant I… you know."

"A long time ago, before any Veela blood was in the Malfoy line, a Veela was given to one of our ancestors as a gift. He married her, thinking of breeding and a beautiful wife, but she fell in love with him, hard, and I take it you know what happens when a pure blooded Veela is in love?"

"She does anything and everything for the man she is in love with."

"That is correct. Now, that Malfoy treated the Veela with such cruelty it broke her heart, and of course, when a Veela heart breaks, she dies. Her tribe found out about his cruelty, and one night, a thousand years ago, they placed an irreversible curse on the Malfoy Family."

"Which was?"

"The first person a Malfoy made love with, they would fall in love with them as hard and as complete as if he was a veela, he would be bound to them in servitude for the rest of his life, this curse can only be broken if the Malfoy finds someone that will love them back, properly love them, not just care about them, someone that would do anything for their happiness, and someone who is only happy if they are around, you understand? By any means Draco, have a relationship, learn about your feelings, express them with someone, just don't fall into bed with anyone who comes along."

Lucius finished his speech, shuddering to a halt; he looked up at Draco, who was looking at him with a sudden understanding.

"That's why you're with Mother, isn't it?" Draco said slowly, frowning as he tried to take all the information in.

"Yes. You see, I fell for someone quite badly, but they were taken, and it hurt so bad I turned round for comfort and guess who I found?" He laughed bitterly, "I think the night we conceived you was the only night I ever found warmth in those arms, probably glowing red hot thinking about all the money she could burn afterwards."

"But you don't do everything she says."

"No, not everything, I have a greater love than her you know," he smiled fondly, "She will never, ever be able to make me hurt you."

"Ok, I get it daddy, no sex till I'm married, yeah?"

"Or until someone falls in love with you."

"Not likely."

"Don't think like that, Draco, you are a gorgeous young man even without all the glitter, you're funny, you can be kind when you want to, and you are very, very loyal." Lucius smiled, "But you do have a rather fiery temper."

"Shut up." Draco pouted, proving his fathers point. Draco bent down and unstrapped his re filling flask and offered it to his father.

"Drink?"

"why… yes!"

Lucius took a swig, "I see that flask came in handy then, you're not an alcoholic are you?"

"No, no, of course not… well, yes."

"Ah well, like father like son."

"Yeah, it's a great flask, I love you." Draco said, then clasped his hand around his mouth.

Lucius brought the flask down from his lips slowly and looked at Draco with his eyebrows raised, "What?"

"I Said I love it. The flask I mean. Its great."

"You said you loved me." Lucius grinned

"No I didn't." Draco said with the wide eyes of fear.

"Yes you did, you love me!" Lucius smirked.

"No I don't!"

Lucius grabbed his son into a bear hug, "Aw, I love you too, baby, how cute!"

"Shut up! I DON'T LOVE YOU!"

"You havn't said you loved me since you were 10!"

"That's cause its not true, put me down! MALFOY'S DON'T LOVE, ITS ICKY!"

"True. Draco… See when, I get Kissed-"

"Dad! I don't want to hear what happens when you kiss!"

"No you dolt, I mean , when the Dementor's come, will you do me a favour."

"What?" Draco said, untrustingly.

"Kill me. No, don't look at me like that I mean it, do you really think I want to be sitting, drooling in some room at St Mungo's not even recognising my boy? That's not how I want to end my life Draco."

"I cant…"

"Yes you can, promise me, promise me you wont let that happen, please Draco, I don't want to have to beg you…!

"I…-"

"Right, Malfoy, times up." Shacklebolt came into the church and grabbed Lucius roughly by the arm, dragging him back to the front of the church.

"Remember Draco, please, remember what I said!"

And as his Father was taken from him for the second time, all Draco could do was break down and cry.

* * *

Draco is always crying at the end of my chapters… I'll see if I can make him a little happy in the next one… hmmm,

Anyway, hope you liked, please review, and all that other crap

Love and stuff

El


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